Lal Bahadur Shastri Death Anniversary 2022: Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of Independent India, and Mahatma Gandhi left an indelible impression on him. He coined the phrase “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan,” which translates as “Hail the army, hail the farmer.” Read on to learn more about Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Death Anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri 2022: On 11 January, the death anniversary of India’s second Prime Minister is honored; he died on this day in 1966 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He had served the country for almost 30 years and was renowned as a guy of tremendous integrity and skill. He was a man of tremendous inner strength, humility, and tolerance. He spoke the language of the people and was a visionary for the country’s advancement.
- Born: 2nd October, 1904
- Birth Place: Mughalsarai, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
- Father: Sharada Prasad Shrivastava
- Mother: Ramdulari Devi
- Wife: Lalita Devi
- Political Association: Indian National Congress
- Movement: Indian Independence Movement
- Death: 11 January, 1966
- Memorial: Vijay Ghat, New Delhi
On October 2, 1904 at Mughalsarai, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Lal Bahadur Shastri was born. He was the Indian National Congress Party’s leader and the country’s second Prime Minister.
Biography of Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri attended Mughalsarai and Varanasi’s East Central Railway Inter College. In 1926, he received his diploma from the Kashi Vidyapeeth. Vidya Peeth bestowed upon him the title “Shastri,” which means “Scholar,” as part of his bachelor’s degree award. However, this title became part of his name. Mahatma Gandhi and Lokmanya Tilak had a big influence on Shastri.
On May 16, 1928, he married Lalita Devi. He became a life member of Lala Lajpat Rai’s Servants of the People Society (Lok Sevak Mandal). He began working for the upliftment of the lower classes there, and ultimately became the President of that Society.
Shastri ji joined the Indian Independence Campaign in the 1920s, when he participated in the non-cooperation movement. The British imprisoned him for a period of time.
He also took part in the Salt Satyagraha in 1930, for which he was imprisoned for more than two years. In 1937, he became the Organising Secretary of the U.P. Parliamentary Board. In 1942, he was imprisoned once more after Mahatma Gandhi delivered the Quit India speech in Mumbai. He was incarcerated until 1946. Shastri has served a total of nine years in prison. He made the most of his time in prison by reading literature and becoming acquainted with the writings of Western philosophers, revolutionaries, and social reformers.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Politics
Following India’s independence, Lal Bahadur Shastri was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in Uttar Pradesh. In 1947, he was also appointed Minister of Police and Transport. He had selected female conductors for the first time as Transport Minister. As the minister in charge of the Police Department, he issued an order directing officers to use water jets rather than lathis to disperse the angry masses.
Shastri was named General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee in 1951 and was successful in carrying out advertising and other election-related tasks. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in 1952. In 1955, as Railway Minister, he installed the first machine at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.
Shastri was appointed Minister of Transport and Communications again in 1957, and then Minister of Commerce and Industry. He was named Home Minister in 1961, and he established the Committee on Corruption Prevention. He devised the well-known “Shastri Formula,” which included language agitations in Assam and Punjab.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was elected Prime Minister of India on June 9, 1964. He advocated for the White Revolution, a nationwide push to boost milk production. He also advocated for the Green Revolution in order to enhance food production in India.
Though Shastri maintained Nehru’s non-alignment policy, he also established ties with the Soviet Union. In 1964, he struck an agreement about the status of Indian Tamils in Ceylon with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The Srimavo-Shastri Pact is the name given to this accord.
In 1965, Shastri paid an official visit to Rangoon, Burma, and re-established excellent relations with General Ne Win’s military government. During his presidency, India suffered another attack from Pakistan in 1965. He garnered popularity by allowing the Security Forces to retaliate and said “Force shall be answered with Force.” The Indo-Pak conflict ended on September 23, 1965. On January 10, 1966, Russian Prime Minister Kosygin offered to intervene between Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistan’s Ayub Khan, who signed the Tashkent Declaration.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Death
On January 11, 1966, Lal Bahadur Shastri died of a heart attack. In 1966, he was posthumously given the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was noted for his honesty and expertise. He was a humble, tolerant man with immense inner power who spoke common man’s language. He was strongly affected by Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings and was also a visionary who guided countries forward.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Facts You May Not Know
– Lal Bahadur Shastri, India’s second Prime Minister, shares Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday on October 2nd.
– In 1926, he was awarded the title ‘Shastri’ by Kashi Vidyapeeth University as a measure of intellectual achievement.
– Shastri swam the Ganges twice a day to get to school, and he strapped books to the top of his head because he didn’t have enough money to use a boat at the time.
– When Lal Bahadur Shastri was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he was the first to employ water jets to disperse crowds instead of the lathi charge.
– He popularized the slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” and was instrumental in defining India’s destiny.
– He was imprisoned because he participated in the Non-Cooperation movement during the Freedom Struggle alongside Gandhi Ji, but he was released because he was still a minor of 17 years.
– After independence, as Transport Minister, he introduced female drivers and conductors in public transportation.
– He accepted a Khadi cloth and a spinning wheel as dowry in his wedding.
– He took part in the Salt March and was imprisoned for two years.
– As Home Minister, he established the first Corruption Prevention Committee.
– He also included the Green Revolution concept to increase demand for India’s food output.
– In the 1920s, he became a major leader of the Indian National Congress and joined the liberation fight.
– In addition, he had backed the development of the White Revolution in order to increase milk production in the country. He established the National Dairy Development Board and backed the Amul milk cooperative in Anand, Gujarat.
– On 10 January 1966, he signed the Tashkent Declaration with Pakistan President Muhammad Ayub Khan to terminate the 1965 conflict.
– He spoke out against the dowry system and caste system.
– He was a highly disciplined individual with strong self-esteem and morality. After becoming Prime Minister, he didn’t even buy an automobile.