Context
- Recently, the honourable Prime Minister of India paid homage to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary (2 October).
- He said Shastri Ji’s simplicity and dedication to the nation remain deeply inspiring, noting that his gentle personality fills every Indian with pride while his resolve was firm like a rock.
About Lal Bahadur Shastri
- Born: 2 October 1904 at Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh; born Lal Bahadur Srivastava.
- Title ‘Shastri’: Conferred on him on completing his degree at Kashi Vidyapith (1925); it is a degree title, not a surname.
- Position: He was the second Prime Minister of India (9 June 1964 – 11 January 1966), succeeding Jawaharlal Nehru.
- Death: 11 January 1966 at Tashkent (present-day Uzbekistan), a day after signing the Tashkent Declaration.
- Memorial: Vijay Ghat, Delhi.
Role in the Freedom Struggle
- Early involvement: Joined the Non-Cooperation Movement as a student and studied at the nationalist institution Kashi Vidyapith.
- Lok Sevak Mandal: Became a life member of the Servants of the People Society (Lok Sevak Mandal), founded by Lala Lajpat Rai.
- Movements: Took part in the Salt Satyagraha (1930) and the Quit India Movement (1942) and was imprisoned several times.
Key Contributions as Prime Minister
- ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’: Slogan given during the 1965 war to honour soldiers and farmers and stress food self-sufficiency.
- Green Revolution: Laid the base through the Food Corporation of India and the Agricultural Prices Commission (both 1965; now CACP).
- White Revolution: Supported the dairy cooperative model of Anand and the creation of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in 1965.
- Food crisis: Urged citizens to skip a meal once a week to tackle food shortage.
1965 War and Tashkent Declaration
- 1965 Indo-Pak War: India’s armed forces responded firmly to Pakistan’s infiltration in Kashmir (Operation Gibraltar).
- Tashkent Declaration (10 January 1966): Signed with Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan under Soviet mediation (Alexei Kosygin).
- Terms: Both sides agreed to withdraw to positions held before 5 August 1965 and restore diplomatic relations.
Other Important Roles and Recognition
- Railway Minister (1951–56): Resigned in 1956 taking moral responsibility for a railway accident (Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu).
- Home Minister (1961–63): Set up the Santhanam Committee (1962) on prevention of corruption, which led to the Central Vigilance Commission (1964).
- Bharat Ratna: He was awarded posthumously in 1966 and became the first person to receive it posthumously.
- LBSNAA: The national academy for training IAS officers at Mussoorie is named the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.
Conclusion
Lal Bahadur Shastri’s simplicity, integrity and firm leadership during the 1965 war and the food crisis, captured in the slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’, make him a lasting symbol of ethical public life.
| Important CTC from this article for UPSC Prelims — Tashkent Declaration (1966) |