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REMEMBERING SHASTRIJI AND HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATION

Dr. Ravni Thakur

There comes a time in the life of every nation when it stands at the cross roads of history and must choose which way to go. But for us, there need be no difficulty or hesitation, no looking to right or left. Our way is straight and clear -the building up of a socialistic democracy at home with freedom and prosperity for all and maintenance of world peace and friendship with other nations. To that straight road these shining ideals, we rededicate ourselves today (Lal Bahadur Shastri, 1964)

Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri's short tenure as Prime-Minister ended tragically in an accident. His career and achievements however, transcend his prime-ministership. Born on the 2^nd of October, 1904 at Mughalsarai in the Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. In 1921, Shastriji responded to Gandhi's call to participate in the non-cooperation movement that had been launched for India's independence. He gave up his studies and joined the Freedom movement with great enthusiasm. As a young man, he was arrested for his activities several times. In May 1928, Shastriji married Smt. Lalita Devi, also from Mirzapur.

Role in the Freedom Movement

 

It was when he once again started his studies at Kashi Vidyapeeth that Shastriji came into contact with eminent freedom fighters and patriots. Kashi Vidyapeeth was a nationalist institution and its main aim was to provide young people who were participating in the freedom movement with a chance at education. After his education in 1926, Lal Bahadur Shastri became a member of the "Servants of People" society and started working for the upliftment of the Harijans. He worked tirelessly for this organization and was sent to Allahabad for its work.

In 1930, when Gandhiji launched his satayagraha, Shastriji played a leading role in convincing people to accept the movement and succeeded in bringing in several young people into the freedom movement. During the Quit India movement, Shastriji was one of the few leaders to escape arrest. This was fortunate since he was then able to direct the other Congress workers while being underground. He was also able to coordinate the movement of the struggle and remained in touch with imprisoned Congress leaders. He was finally arrested for leading a movement to defy the law in Allahabad and released alongwith other leaders.

During the freedom movement, Shastriji was a tireless worker. He worked not just in popularizing the goals of India's freedom movement, he also spent a large amount of time working with programmes launched for the upliftment of the down-trodden dalits in the country. Apart from donating a regular amount of his salary to the cause, he propagated the ideas of Gandhiji wherever he could. His organizational skill, his simplicity and his selfless hardwork, endeared him to the masses wherever he went. It also brought him praise from Gandhiji, with whom he shared a birthday.

He was appointed as the Organising Secretary of the UP Parliamentary Board in 1937. Impressed by his dedication, Pundit Gobind Ballabh Pant appointed him as Parliamentary Secretary. Here he once again proved his capacity for hard work and his unflinching loyalty to the Independence struggle. Pundit Pant's words for him sum up his character during that period, "hardworking, devoted, trustworthy and non-controversial"

Post Independence Career

After Independence, Shastriji was appointed as home minister in Uttar Pradesh. This was a testing period for independent India. They had to prove not only their ideals of secularism but also their capacity to govern. Shastriji lived up to both in his work and his demeanour. As a minister he carried out reforms in both the police department and within Party to ensure that it would fulfill its role as a Party in governance. In 1952, Pundit Nehru appointed him as the Congress party's election manager. He was simultaneously appointed as a General Secretary for the AICC. He became a Union Minister in 1952 after his elevation to the Rajya Sabha. His ministry was railways and transport. It is a matter of history and a fitting reminder of Shastriji's service to the nation that after a railway accident in 1956 when he resigned from his post owning moral responsibility for a severe accident.

His next post was that of Minister of Home Affairs. He brought to this office his own singular charm and capacity to resolve crisis and disputes. During his tenure, he handled the language controversy in Assam and Kerala and ably found a just solution. Here again, Shri Shastri showed that his loyalty lay with the Party and not with power. He was the first minister to resign under the Kamaraj Plan that asked senior leaders to go back to the grass-roots and strengthen the Party. However, this was in the year 1964 and Pundit Nehru soon called him back to help with the administrative work of governance. Nehruji knew that Shastriji could be trusted to lead the Party and the Nation in the right direction and chose him as his number two man.

Lal Bahadur Shastri as Prime-Minister

Lal Bahadur Shastri was unanimously elected leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party on 2^nd June, 1964 and was sworn in as Prime Minister of India on 9 June 1964. His Prime Ministership lasted only eighteen months because of his untimely death in Tashkent. But in that little time, he proved that he was the right man for the right job. Shri Shastri during his participation in the freedom struggle had imbibed very clear ideas about the role of India internationally and the role envisaged for the Congress Party within the country. His first and foremost commitment was to the interests of the Indian nation. Here, like Pundit Nehru and Gandhiji, he believed in a secular and democratic India and above all, he believed in the Prime-Minister being one of equals. His emphasis was to be on ameliorating the differences that existed in India and he carried through his commitment to poverty alleviation during his tenure. For him defence of the nation and solving the endemic problem of its rural poverty were the most important. Hence his slogan, "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan". At the level of international affairs, Shastriji was also committed to the line of Non-Alignment. Shastriji's handling of the 1965 war with Pakistan and then the ceasefire in Tashkent were his biggest achievements. In a broadcast to the nation when war with Pakistan was inevitable, Shastriji said:

"When freedom is threatened and the territorial integrity is in danger, there is only one duty, the duty to meet the challenge with all our might." (13 August, 1965)

The end of the 1965 war was particularly sad for India. After a long and arduous round of discussion, the Tashkent agreement was signed. Prime Minister Kosygin of the Soviet Union termed it as a hallmark of eternal friendship between India and Pakistan. Death, alas intervened and he was unable to see the fruits of his labour come to fruition. He proved himself once again by fighting a war that India was not looking for, by putting together an agreement that would have had far-reaching consequences had he lived to see them through.

Remembering Lal Bahadur Shastri

A small man with a personality that overshadowed all those who were with him. Honesty, integrity and a selfless love for the nation, Shastriji represented all these values. For those in the Party who only know him through his actions, he stands for those principles that India needs to remember today. These are the ethics that made India's freedom movement unique and continue to make its Democracy unique. In a world where we are dominated by just the material, Shastriji's commitment to principle and to safeguarding India's interest stand as a beacon to be emulated. This year as the nation celebrates his centenary, we can only hope that he knew how valuable he has been for the nation.