Sharing his birth date with Mahatma Gandhi, freedom fighter Lal Bahadur Shastri was a notable figure in the history of India. The 2nd of October also marks Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti. He was the second prime minister of India and a prominent name in the White and Green Revolution. While there were some controversies on the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the reason for Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death was known as a heart attack. Let us commemorate Lal Bahadur Shastri contribution to India and know more about this honest and humble freedom fighter of India.
Freedom Fighter Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti
Despite having a calm demeanour, the fiery freedom fighter Lal Bahadur Shastri is given the nickname, Man of Peace. He wasn’t a violent man and always took the path of peaceful protest along with Gandhiji’s Satyagraha.
Biography of Lal Bahadur Shastri – The Man of Peace
Early Life Of Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri was born in Mughalsarai of Uttar Pradesh on 2nd October 1904, which is now celebrated as Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti. His parents were Sharada Prasad Srivastava and Ramdulari Devi. When Shastri Ji was one and a half years old, he lost his father and was brought up by his mother alone in his maternal grandfather’s home, along with his two other siblings.
Education Of Lal Bahadur Shastri
Till sixth class, Lal Bahadur Shastri studied at East Central Railway Inter College in his hometown, Mughalsarai. Later, for higher education, he went to Harish Chandra High School in Varanasi. That is where the seed for the struggle for independence was born after Shastri Ji was inspired by his highly patriotic teacher, Nishkameshwar Prasad Mishra.
In 1925, he earned his Graduate degree in philosophy and ethics from Kashi Vidyapith and adopted the given honorific title of Shastri, meaning scholar.
Journey of Lal Bahadur Shastri Before Becoming PM
Since 1921, Lal Bahadur Shastri was attending the public meetings held by Gandhiji and Madan Mohan Malviya and later, he started working for the betterment of the Harijans at Muzaffarnagar after becoming a life member of Lok Seva Mandal which was founded by Lala Lajpat Rai.
In 1928, he joined Mahatma Gandhi’s Congress as an active member and was a part of the Satyagraha, the Quit India movement and other social rebellions led by Gandhiji. He even served 7 years in a British jail.
Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri
After independence, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Parliament secretary of Uttar Pradesh. He was also given the ministry of Police and Transport. The first women conductors were appointed by Lal Bahadur Shastri because he promoted gender equality. Later, in 1952, the All India Congress Committee voted him as the General Secretary while Jawaharlal Nehru was the PM.
After the latter’s death, Lal Bahadur Shastri was made the Prime Minister of the country on 9th June 1964, the second PM of the Republic of India. However, his tenure lasted only two years due to his death under mysterious circumstances.
Also Read- Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Death Cause And Biography Of An Inspiring National Leader
Lal Bahadur Shastri Slogan: Jai Jawan Jai Kisan
The slogan, Jai Jawan Jai Kisan, was coined by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in the year 1965 in Uruwa, Prayagraj. As the Prime Minister of India, he was addressing the citizens at a public gathering when he said this slogan which means, hail the soldiers, hail the farmers.
The slogan is remembered to date and has different variations given to it too by other notable figures, like Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Jai Vigyan coined by Atal Bihari Bajpai.
Freedom Fighter Lal Bahadur Shastri Contribution To India
Shastri Ji was an active freedom fighter in India. In his early life, he was a part of the non-cooperation movement in 1920 and was jailed for the same. Later, he was a part of the Salt Satyagraha, Quit India speech and also instructed other activists in this movement of freedom struggle for India. He was sent to jail multiple times during all those years.
Also Read- The Impact And Causes Of The Quit India Movement – The August Kranti
PM Lal Bahadur Shastri contribution to India
- As the PM, Lal Bahadur Shastri announced for English to be used as the official language of India.
- He promoted the milk cooperative of Gujarat, Anand now known as AMUL, and brought the White revolution to support the production and supply of milk.
- He also started the Green Revolution in order to fight the food crisis.
- He improved the relationship between the Soviet Union and India.
- Under his leadership, the Indo-Pak War commenced in 1965 when Pakistan tried to incite an internal revolt and failed.
- The Tashkent Declaration, a peace treaty between India and Pakistan, was signed by him and Ayub Khan on 10th January 1966.
Death Of Lal Bahadur Shastri
Just after signing the peace treaty post Indo-Pak War, on 11th January 1965, Lal Bahadur Shastri was declared dead.
While the reason made official is a heart attack, there still are controversies about whether the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri was planned or orchestrated. All the documents regarding his death remain classified to date.
Few Final Words
With 2nd October declared as Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti, we are sure that he was a great human being and a respected figure of great Indian history. We pay our respects to Lal Bahadur Shastri while basking in the glory of his contributions to India.
For more articles, Visit Discover
