We must fight for peace as bravely as we fought in war.
Lal Bahadur Shastri
When someone asks you what’s so special about the 2nd of October, what would your answer be? Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. The entire country celebrates this day as “Gandhi Jayanti”. But on this very day, another, very prominent figure in Indian history was also born. The Second Prime Minister of Independent India – Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on 2nd October 1904 in Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh. Today marks the 117th birth anniversary of Shastri Ji. And my article for today focuses on him.
Lal Bahadur Shastri – The 2nd Prime Minister of India
Born to a father who was a teacher-turned clerk, and a mother who, like most women of that time, was a stay-at-home wife, Shastri had 2 sisters, one elder and one younger. His father died when he was 6 years old, so his mother, who was pregnant at that time with her third child, took Shastri and his elder sister and moved into her father’s house who was also a teacher. After his maternal grandfather’s death, Shastri Ji’s great uncle took care of his mother and sisters. When Shastri Ji was in 7th grade, he dropped his ‘caste surname’ – “Srivastava”, to protest the religious discrimination that existed in the country. Throughout his life during the independence era, Shastri Ji spent most of his time under the guidance of Gandhi ji. He worked for the betterment of the ‘Harijans’ (the untouchables) and worked closely with Lala Lajpat Rai as well. In fact, Shastri Ji spent almost 9 years in total in jail, right up till 1947.
India will have to hang down her head in shame if even one person is left who is said in any way to be untouchable.
Lal Bahadur Shastri
(Left) – Lal Bahadur Shastri and his wife Lalita Shastri; (Right) – A painter painting the portrait of Shastri Ji
After independence, as it is known to all of us now, Nehru became the first prime minister of Independent India. On 27th May 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru died, aged 74. His death came as a shock to the entire country, and he had passed away leaving no heir to the country or the Congress Party. The Congress Party president, K. Kamraj, was very instrumental in establishing Shastri as the 2nd and next Prime Minister of Independent India on 9th June 1964, when no one knew who would succeed Nehru as the next prime minister. Shastri Ji was known for the bold decisions that he took as the Prime Minister of the country, specifically economic decisions. Majority of the credit for India’s victory in the 1964 Indo-Pak War, goes to Shastri Ji. He built closer relations with a lot of countries during his tenure and also continued with Nehru’s policy of Non-Alignment with either of the two world power blocks at that time – USA and the USSR.
Shastri Ji with wife Lalita Shastri visiting the Royal Opera House in London, 7th December 1964
However, the biggest mystery surrounding his life is his death. On 4th January 1966, Shastri ji and Pakistani President Muhammad Ayub Khan met in Tashkent, USSR (current day Uzbekistan), under the supervision of the Soviet Union Premier Alexei Kosygin. The 1965 Indo-Pak War had ended in ceasefire negotiations due to the intervention of both – the USA and the USSR. Thus, met the two leaders of India and Pakistan in Tashkent. The Tashkent Agreement was signed on 10th January 1966 after days of discussions. On the 11th of January 1966, Shastri Ji was last seen pacing around his room after the signing of the agreement. In less than 24 hours, news broke out that Shastri Ji had died in Tashkent due to a heart attack. However, when his body was brought back to India it was bluish-black in colour, with bleeding cuts on his body which was not common when a person dies of a heart attack. His wife Lalita Shastri and his children raised questions and asked for a post-mortem to be conducted. However, they were denied this right, which is why to this day his death remains a mystery. Although the official cause for his death is stated as a heart attack, majority of the public and his family, to this day, refuse to believe that foul play was not involved in his death.
A large crowd gathers at the funeral of Prime Minster Lal Bahadur Shastri in New Delhi; Video Courtesy – CriticalPast
Its been 53 years since Shastri Ji’s death. Till date, no one knows what actually happened to him in Tashkent on the night of 11th January 1966. But the even sadder part is that very few people know that the 2nd of October also marks Lal Bahadur Shastri’s birthday. So, this year, lets celebrate the birth of two of the greatest leaders born in the history of our country – both Gandhi ji and Shastri Ji.
Lal Bahdur Shastri’s funeral
‘The Tashkent Files’, a movie released in 2019, talks all about the theories surrounding Shastri Ji’s death. For all those who are interested in knowing more about Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death, this movie is a must see.
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