Born on 2nd October 1904, Lal Bahadur Shastri threw himself into the freedom struggle as a young man, and spent many years in jail. He acquired a reputation for a quiet courage as well a steely rectitude. The latter characteristic was strikingly manifested when, as Railway Minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet, he resigned after a train accident, an ethical act rare then and completely inconceivable now. Later, he was reinducted into the cabinet, and Nehru came increasingly to rely upon him, and to see Shastri as his eventual successor.
The former Prime Minister of India, Late Shri Lal Bahaddur Shastri visited Lingaraj College, Belagavi, as the Chief Guest at Gandhi Jayanti Celebration in 1950.
He was sworn in as Prime Minister in June 1964.
He promoted the White Revolution – a national campaign to increase the production and supply of milk – by supporting the Amul milk co-operative of Anand, Gujarat and creating the National Dairy Development Board. Underlining the need to boost India’s food production, Shastri also promoted the Green Revolution in India in 1965. This led to an increase in food grain production, especially in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
He led the country during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. His slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” (“Hail to the soldier; Hail to the farmer”) became very popular during the war. The war formally ended with the Tashkent Agreement on 10 January 1966; he died the following day, still in Tashkent, with the cause of his death in dispute; it was reported to be a cardiac arrest but his family was not satisfied with the proffered reason. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna.
