Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on October 2, 1904, in Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh. He gave the famous slogan of "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan.” Lal Bahadur Shastri studied at East Central Railway Inter College, Mughalsarai. He completed his graduation from Kashi Vidyapeeth in 1926. He was given the title of "Shastri" meaning "scholar" by Vidya Peeth on his graduation. Shastri was greatly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and Tilak.
Important Dates:
- Born: October 2, 1904
- Place of Birth: Mughalsarai, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
- Father's Name: Sharada Prasad Srivastava
- Mother Name: Ramdulari Devi
- Wife Name: Lalita Devi
- Political Association: Indian National Congress
He became a member of the Lok Sevak Mandal founded by Lala Lajpat Rai. There he started working for the upliftment of backward classes and later he became the president of that society. During the 1920s, Shastri was involved in the Indian independence movement, in which he participated in the non-cooperation movement. He was also sent to jail by the British for some time.
Political Achievements of Lal Bahadur Shastri
After India's independence, Lal Bahadur Shastri became Parliamentary Secretary in U.P. He also became the Minister of Police and Transport in 1947. As transport minister, he appointed women conductors for the first time. Being the minister in charge of the police department, he passed orders that the police should use water jets and not use sticks to disperse the furious crowd.
In 1951, Shastri was appointed as the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee and was successful in campaigning and doing other activities related to elections. In 1952, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from U.P. Being the Minister of Railways, he installed the first machine at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai in 1955.
In 1957, Shastri again became the Minister of Transport and Communications and then the Minister of Commerce and Industry. In 1961, he was appointed as the Home Minister, and he appointed the Anti-Corruption Committee. He designed the famous "Shastri Formula".
On 9 June 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Prime Minister of India. He promoted the national campaign White Revolution to increase milk production. He also promoted the Green Revolution to increase food production in India.
Slogans raised by Lal Bahadur Shastri:
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“We believe in peace and peaceful development, not only for ourselves but for people all over the world.”
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“The preservation of freedom is not the task of the soldiers alone. The whole nation has to be strong.”
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“The basic idea of governance, as I see it, is to hold the society together so that it can develop and march towards certain goals.”
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“India will have to hang down her head in shame if even one person is left who said in any way to be untouchable.”
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“The basic idea of governance, as I see it, is to hold the society together so that it can develop and march towards certain goals.”
When did Lal Bahadur Shastri die?
Lal Bahadur Shastri died of a heart attack on January 11, 1966. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 1966. Lal Bahadur Shastri is known as a man of great integrity and capability. He was humble, tolerant with great inner strength who understood the language of the common man. He was deeply influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and was also a man of vision, who led the country towards progress.
