Lal Bahadur Shastri had a major impact on India. After the death of Jawaharlal Nehru, he was appointed as the second Prime Minister of an independent India. He came into power when it was needed in order to successfully guide his nation through the Indo-Pak conflict in 1965. His shy demeanor and frail body gave away a guy who had incredible willpower and self-control. He preferred to be known for his work and speeches rather than his words which sounded lofty and false but were actually false.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Early Life & Education
Ramdulari Devi and Sharada Prasad Shrivastava welcomed Lal Bahadur Shastri into the world on October 2, 1904, in Mughalsarai, United Provinces. Mahatma Gandhi also shares this birthday with him. In 1925, Lal Bahadur got the title "Shastri" after he graduated from Kashi Vidyapeeth in Varanasi, which is a city that lies on the Ganges River.
When Lal Bahadur was just two years old, his father, a schoolteacher by profession, left him with his two sisters. His mother and three-year-old brother were taken to the maternal grandparents' home by their mother Ramdulari Devi when they were two. In these early years, Lal Bahadur learned the virtues of courage, exploration, patience, self-control, courtesy, and generosity.
Lal Bahadur Shastri moved to Varanasi when he was 5 years old and stayed with his maternal uncle. Ganesh Prasad’s daughter, Lalita Devi, married Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1928, who declined to accept dowry because he disagreed with the current “dowry system” but eventually consented to receive as dowry nothing more than five yards of handspun cotton. The couple has six kids.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Political Career
Pre-independence Activism
Young Lal Bahadur became motivated to join the Indian nationalist movement after being moved by the stories and speeches of national leaders, such as Mahatma Gandhi. He also enjoyed reading international writers like Marx, Russell, and Lenin. After hearing a speech by Gandhi in 1915, he made the decision to get involved in the effort for India's independence.
Post-independence
Lal Bahadur Shastri served as Prime Minister of India, Minister of Police in the Govind Vallabh Panth Ministry of Uttar Pradesh following Independence, and Union Minister for Railways. His advice was to use "water jets" instead of lathis to control the crowd. He was invited to join the cabinet by Jawaharlal Nehru after being impressed with his attempts to modernize the state police force.
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1947- In 1946, the Governor General of India chose Shastri to serve as Uttar Pradesh's Parliamentary Secretary. In 1947, he was appointed Chief Minister Govind Ballabh Pant’s Minister of Police and Transport. Shastri was the first to hire female conductors.
1951- When Jawaharlal Nehru became the prime minister of India, he was appointed the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee.
1952-After winning his seat in the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha election, he was expected to serve as the home minister of UP. However, Nehru appointed him as Minister of Railways and Transport, which made him the only cabinet member of India's first post-independence ministry.
1956-In Tamil Nadu, there were two train accidents that resulted in 144 fatalities. He resigned because he felt accountable as the highest authority.
1959-He was rehired as the minister of business and industry for the second time since his first appointment 14 years ago.
1961-He was chosen as the minister of internal affairs.
Lal Bahadur Shastri as Prime Minister of India
In June of 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri took over for Jawaharlal Nehru when Nehru passed away. Shastri, who was previously a member of Congress and had supported Nehru's idea of socialism, became the consensus choice when the party had many more meaningful leaders.
Prime Minister Shastri has been called the man who saved India. During his tenure as prime minister, he helped found and promote both the White Revolution and the Green revolution in order to deal with major issues like hunger, unemployment, and poverty. Shastri himself contributed to the promotion of the White Revolution, as well as a new "Green Revolution" that addressed food scarcity and other pressing problems facing India at the time.
During Shastri's presidency, India experienced another aggression from Pakistan following the Chinese aggression of 1962. He demonstrated his mettle by making it abundantly clear that Indian forces would not merely stand by. Speaking on the situation, he said, "Force will be confronted with force." While giving the Security Forces freedom to act as necessary, he called for peace talks.
On September 23, 1965, the Indo-Pak War came to an end. On January 10, 1966, after receiving support from Russian Prime Minister Kosygin, Indian and Pakistani officials signed the Tashkent Declaration of a truce in the war.
Indo-Pak war of 1965
The Battle of the Second Kashmir Conflict occurred in 1965 after multiple clashes between Pakistan and India. Shastriji led India valiantly, although he valued non-violence every bit as much as Gandhi did. It all started with Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar to sneak troops into Jammu and Kashmir.
After he made a statement on the eve of Jyotiharman, Jawaharlal Nehru promoted a “jai jawan, jai kisan” movement. The slogan was well-received, and eventually led to UN Resolution 211 declaring a truce.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Death
Lal Bahadur Shastri, who had experienced two heart attacks while still alive, passed away on January 11, 1966. The only current Indian Prime Minister to die abroad is him. In 1966, Lal Bahadur Shastri received the highest civilian honor in India: a posthumous Bharat Ratna.
Multiple questions have been raised after Shastri passed away unexpectedly soon after signing the Tashkent Pact and agreeing to the terms of the National Security Advisor. Shastri was allegedly poisoned, and the Russian Butler who served Prime Minister Lalita Devi was detained according to his wife. He was later released after medical experts determined that the Indian Prime Minister died from a heart attack - albeit suddenly. The CIA may have had something to do with it; according to a conspiracy theory that was reported in the media. The PMO rejected the RTI request by Anuj Dhar citing potential deterioration in relations with the US.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Legacy
India's first prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri was Gandhi's most faithful follower. With no wealth or prized possessions, despite being a minister, he received the Bharat Ratna posthumously after his death. In 1966, a stamp honoring him was released as well.
He always opted for friendly relations with his neighbors rather than going with a violent solution. It was the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration that is the name of their IAS training facility in Mussoorie.
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