New Delhi: The name of Lal Bahadur Shastri often goes unnoticed when we talk about the great Prime Ministers of India. While his tenure at the office was a short one, from 1964 to 1966, his impact was profound, cementing his legacy in the pantheon of modern Indian politics. Even today, his slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ reverberates through the length and breadth of the country. Today, on his death anniversary, we will take a look at the tenure of Shastri as Indian PM.
Lal Bahadur Shastri: The PM India needed and deserved
Before being a PM, Lal Bahadur Shastri was a freedom fighter who was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Annie Besant. He joined the Indian Independence movement after being influenced by Gandhi and was a key member of the Congress. After India gained Independence, he held several Cabinet positions including Railways Minister and Home Minister.
He became the PM after Jawaharlal Nehru died in office on May 27, 1964, and K Kamaraj, the then Congress president played a big role in propelling Shastri to the office. Shastri was soft-spoken and mild-mannered and a Nehruvian socialist.
The anti-Hindi protests in Tamil Nadu
After becoming the PM, Shastri retained many members of the Council of Ministers of Nehru and also appointed Indira Gandhi as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. While he headed a stable government, he faced a massive challenge when the anti-Hindi protests erupted in Tamil Nadu in 1965. The Indian government was trying to make Hindi the sole national language, and non-Hindi speaking states, especially Tamil Nadu resisted the move strongly, so much so that a violent protest erupted in the state. Shastri had to assure that English would remain the official language and the agitation was only subsided after his assurance. Hence, it can be said that PM Shastri dealt with the situation deftly and astutely.
The White Revolution in India
Shastri was instrumental in promoting the White Revolution in India, which was a campaign to increase the production and supply of milk in the country. To fulfill this goal, he supported the Amul milk co-operative of Gujarat’s Anand and created the National Dairy Development Board at Anand in 1965. When he visited Anand on October 31, 1964, he stayed with the farmers in a village at night and even had dinner with them. He established the National Dairy Development Board to improve the socio-economic conditions of farmers.
When people gave up food for Shastri
To solve the food crisis in India at that time, Shastri urged people to voluntarily forsake one meal so that the food can be distributed to those in need. He even implemented that in his family first. He asked people to skip a meal a week and people responded overwhelmingly. So much so that eateries and restaurants also participated and remained closed on Monday evenings and “Shastri Vrat” was observed in many parts of the country.
‘Jai Jawan Jai Kishan’ and Green Revolution
On October 19, 1965, when India was at war with Pakistan, Shastri gave the famous slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kishan’ (Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer) in Allahabad which became the slogan of the nation and encouraged people during the war. Also, in the same year, he promoted the Green Revolution to underline the need to boost the food production in the country. As a result, more food grain was produced especially in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and there were the development of high-yielding varieties of wheat.
Relation with Soviet Union and Burma
Shastri maintained the non-alignment policy of India but formed close ties with the Soviet Union. Keeping in mind the India-China War in 1962, he decided to increase the defence budget of the country. In December 1965, he officially visited Burma’s Rangoon with his family and established friendly relations.
The Tashkent Declaration
Shastri showed his astute leadership during the 1965 India-Pakistan War in which we did not give an inch to our neighbour. After the ceasefire, Shastri and the-then president of Pakistan, Muhammad Ayub Khan attended a summit in Tashkent. On January 10, 1966, Shastri and Ayub Khan signed the Tashkent Declaration which formally brough the war to a close.
Lal Bahadur Shastri’s short tenure as India’s Prime Minister left a lasting impact. He navigated the anti-Hindi protests, championed the White Revolution, and inspired the nation with Jai Jawan Jai Kisan during the 1965 war with Pakistan. His leadership also included crucial initiatives like the Green Revolution and the Tashkent Declaration, solidifying his place in Indian history. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
