Lal Bahadur Shastri was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of the country from 1964 to 1966. He was also the Home Minister of India from 1961 to 1963.
Shastri became the Prime Minister of India after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
New Delhi: Apart from Mahatma Gandhi, October 2 is the birthdate of another of the great sons of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri. He was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of the country from 1964 to 1966. He was also the Home Minister of India from 1961 to 1963. In this article, we will take a look at some of the interesting facts about the former PM of India.
Interesting facts about Lal Bahadur Shastri
- Born on October 2, 1904, Lal Bahadur Shastri stayed with his uncle in Varanasi where he attended high school. Nanhe, or ‘little one’ as he was called at home used to walk many miles to school without shoes, even when the streets burned in the summer’s heat.
- He became interested in the freedom struggle of India from the colonial yoke as he grew up. Mahatma Gandhi’s denunciation of Indian Princes for their support of British rule impressed him greatly. At that time, Lal Bahadur Sashtri was only 11 years old but the desire to take part in the Independence movement had taken a firm root in his mind.
- He left his studies at the age of 16 and decided to join the Non-Cooperation Movement of Mahatma Gandhi. His family tried to dissuade him from what they thought was a disastrous action. But Lal Bahadur was firm in his decision.
- In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi broke the imperial salt law by marching to the sea beach at Dandi. The symbolic gesture set the whole country ablaze and Lal Bahadur Shastri became more involved in the struggle. He led many defiant campaigns and spent a total of seven years in British jails.
- He was the president of Servants of the People Society (Lok Sevak Mandal) which Lala Lajpat Rai founded. He worked in many important positions in the Indian National Congress and after 1947, he joined the Indian government and served in many key roles, including Railways Minister and the Home Minister.
- Shastri became the Prime Minister of India after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru. While working in that position, he promoted the White Revolution which increased the production and supply of milk and he supported the Amul milk co-operative of Anand, Gujarat. He also promoted the Green Revolution in India in 1965, leading to increased production of food grain. He led the country during the India-Pakistan War of 1965.
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