Attempt a Bio-sketch on the Second Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur
Shastri based on the given clues:
1904: born at Mughal Sarai in U. P. to poor parents
1927: marriage with Lalitha
1928: became an active Congress worker
1951: elected to Rajya Sabha
1955-63: Minister in the Central Government
1964: elected as the Prime Minister
1966: was leading Indian delegates at Tashkent for peace talks with
Pakistan, died of sudden heart attack
Answers
Death
Lal Bahadur Shastri died due to heart attack on 11 January, 1966. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna the India's highest civilian award posthumously in 1966.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was known as a man of great integrity and competence. He was humble, tolerant with great inner strength who understood the language of common man. He was deeply influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and was also a man of vision who led countries towards progress.
Some unknown facts about Lal Bahadur Shastri
- India's 2nd Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri shares his birthday with Mahatma Gandhi that is on 2nd October.
- In 1926, he got the title 'Shastri' in Kashi Vidyapeeth University as a mark of scholarly success.
- Shastri swim Ganges twice a day to attend school and tied books on the top of the head because he didn't have enough money that time to take boat.
- When Lal Bahadur Shastri was the Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he was the first person who had used jets of water to disperse crowd instead of lathi charge.
- He introduced a slogan "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" and played a pivotal role in shaping India's future.
- He went ot jail because he took part in the Non-Coopertaion movement at the time of Freedom Struggle with Gandhi ji but he was let off as he was still a minor of 17 years.
- As a Transport Minister after independence, he introduced the provision of female drivers and conductors in public transportation.
- As a dowry in his wedding he accepted a Khadi cloth and spinning wheel.
- He participated in the Salt March and went to jail for two years.
- When he was a Home Minister, he introduced the first committee on Prevention of Corruption.
- He had also integrated the idea of Green Revolution to boost the demand of India's food production.
- In 1920s he joined the freedom movement and served as a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress.
- Not only this, he had aslo supported the promotion of White Revolution for increasing milk production in the country. He had created the National Dairy Development Board and supported the Amul milk cooperative based at Anand, Gujarat.
- He signed Tashkent Declaration on 10 January, 1966 with the paksitan President, Muhammad Ayub Khan to end the 1965 war.
- He raised his voice against dowry system and caste system.
- He was a highly disciplined person with high self-esteem and morals. He did not even own a car after becoming a Prime Minister.
Answer:
Lal Bahadur Shastri, (born October 2, 1904, Mughalsarai, India—died January 11, 1966, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, U.S.S.R.), Indian statesman, prime minister of India (1964–66) after Jawaharlal Nehru.A member of Mahatma Gandhi’s noncooperation movement against British government in India, he was imprisoned for a short time (1921). Upon release he studied in the Kashi Vidyapitha, a nationalist university, where he graduated with the title of shastri (“learned in the scriptures”). He then returned to politics as a follower of Gandhi, was imprisoned several more times, and attained influential positions in the Congress Party of the state of the United Provinces, now Uttar Pradesh state.
Shastri was elected to the legislature of the United Provinces in 1937 and 1946. After Indian independence, Shastri gained experience as minister for home affairs and transport in Uttar Pradesh. He was elected to the central Indian legislature in 1952 and became union minister for railways and transport. He gained a reputation as a skillful mediator after his appointment to the influential post of minister for home affairs in 1961. Three years later, on Jawaharlal Nehru’s illness, Shastri was appointed minister without portfolio, and after Nehru’s death he became prime minister in June 1964.
Shastri was criticized for failing to deal effectively with India’s economic problems, but he won great popularity for his firmness on the outbreak of hostilities with neighbouring Pakistan (1965) over the disputed Kashmir region. He died of a heart attack after signing a “no-war” agreement with Pres. Ayub Khan of Pakistan and was succeeded as prime minister by Indira Gandhi, Nehru’s daughter.