Lal Bahadur shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri was one of the most prominent leaders of his times. He fought for the freedom of our country under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi. He followed the Gandhian principals of truth and non-violence and had served many important roles in the Indian political system. He was appreciated for his honesty and dedication towards work.

After the unfortunate death of Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, Congress Party Chief, K. Kamaraj suggested Shastri’s name as the next Prime Minister of India. Other party leaders agreed to it and Shastri became the second Prime Minister of the country.

Shastri promoted the idea of secularism and aimed for maintaining peace in the country as well as developing cordial relationships with other countries.

Many members from Nehru’s Council of Ministers continued to handle their responsibilities as they did during Nehru’s tenure as Prime Minister. T.T. Krishnamachari, Yashwantrao Chavan and Gulzarilal Nanda were among few of them. Besides, Shastri gave the prominent position of Minister of Information and Broadcasting to Indira Gandhi and appointed certain other new ministers.

During his small tenure as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1966, Shastri Ji worked hard and accomplished tasks for which he is known even today. He handled various situations wisely and calmly.

The Madras anti-Hindu agitation of 1965 was among one of the critical situations the country faced during his time. The Indian government wanted to make Hindi as the national language of the country. This did not go down well with the non-Hindi speaking states such as Madras. Students as well as professionals and other people from different walks of life initiated riots and the situation became tensed. The riots came to an end only after Shastri Ji’s assurance that English would continue to be the official language of the non-Hindi speaking states.

The Indo-Pak war of 1965 also occurred during his tenure and he handled this situation intelligently. The war was called off after 22 days.

Shastri Ji also worked towards the economic development and prosperity of the country. He encouraged the increase in the production of milk. He did so by supporting the Amul Milk Co-operative based in Gujarat and also established the National Dairy Development Board. The Food Corporation of India was also established during his reign as the Prime Minister.

He worked towards improving the economic condition of the farmers.

Shastri Ji has given a lot to our country as a freedom fighter as well as the Prime Minister of our county. He has earned respect and love of the Indians. His slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kishan’ is popular even today.