Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti 2024: A Comprehensive Overview of India’s 2nd Prime Minister.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was an Indian politician and statesman who was the 2nd Prime Minister of India from 1964 to 1966. Prior to that he served as Home Minister from 1961 to 1963. Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on 2 October 1904 in Mughalsarai to parents Sharad Prasad Srivastava and Ramdulari Devi.
He studied at East Central Railway Inter College and Harish Chandra High School, which he left to join the Non-Cooperation Movement. He worked for the betterment of Harijans in Muzaffarpur and dropped his caste-related surname “Srivastava”. Shastriji’s ideas were influenced by his study of Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Annie Besant. Deeply influenced by Gandhi Jee, he joined the Indian independence movement in the 1920s.
He served as president of the Servants of the People Society (Lok Sevak Mandal), founded by Lala Lajpat Rai, and held prominent positions in the Indian National Congress.
After India’s independence in 1947, he became a member of the Government of India and became one of Prime Minister Nehru’s key cabinet colleagues. He initially served as Railway Minister from 1951 to 1956, after which he held several other important roles, including Home Minister.
As Prime Minister, Shastri jee promoted the White Revolution-a national campaign to increase the production and supply of milk-by supporting the Amul milk cooperative in Anand, Gujarat, and creating the National Dairy Development Board. Emphasizing the need to boost India’s food production, Shastri jee also promoted the Green Revolution in India in 1965. This resulted in increased food grain production, especially in the regions of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
He guided the nation throughout the Indo-Pakistani War. His slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” (“Victory to the soldier; victory to the farmer”) gained immense popularity during the conflict. The war officially ended with the Tashkent Declaration on January 10, 1966; Shastri jee died the next day.
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