Context:

• This article is based on an Editorial “Four things to know about Lal Bahadur Shastri: From ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ to resignation over railway accident” which was published in the Indian Express. October 2 marks the birth anniversary of two iconic Indian leaders, the ‘Father of the Nation’ Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. 

Lal Bahadur Shastri’s Journey: A Humble Beginning

• Childhood: Born in Mughalsarai in 1904. He spent most of his childhood living with his maternal relatives in a lower-middle-class environment. 
• Social Consciousness: As per the biography Lal Bahadur Shastri: A Life of Truth in Politics (author and retired bureaucrat CP Srivastava), when Shastri was in Class VI, he dropped his surname ‘Varma’ by stating his opposition to caste differences.
  • Shastri was added to his name in 1925, after he acquired the degree of ‘Shastri’ (one who knows the Shastras) from the Kashi Vidyapeeth in Benaras.

Lal Bahadur Shastri’s resignations: Accepting responsibility for train accident

• After independence, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Union Minister for Railways and Transport in 1952. A serious accident occurred in August 1956 at Mehboobnagar of present-day Telangana, in which 112 lives were lost.
  • Distressed by the tragedy, Shastri took responsibility for the accident and submitted his resignation.
• Another accident soon took place in November 1956, in Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur that saw the death of 144 passengers. 
  • He resigned again and accepted moral responsibility.
• As per Srivastava “this was the first instance of a cabinet minister accepting moral responsibility for a mishap within his ministry and resigning from government.”
  • Shastri’s resignation increased his moral stature nationally. He had set a new precedent for political conduct.
    
    

Also read: Foreign Policy Of India

When Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’?

Still facing economic stagnation and lack of growth, with the 1962 attack of China, India had to focus on its low levels of food production and increasing demand.

• Then, Lal Bahadur Shastri in a radio address in 1965, reminded the nation that dependence on food imports undermined the country’s self-confidence and self-respect, where he gave the nation a new slogan—‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’.
  • He also helped to solve rows over the government’s official language policy. 

Death of Shastriji

After signing the Tashkent Agreement, on the next day, Shastri passed away due to a heart attack. He had had two heart attacks earlier.

Conclusion

Lal Bahadur Shastriji was humble, tolerant, with great inner strength and resoluteness, a man of the people who understood their language. He was also a man of vision who led the country towards progress. His remarkable capacity to listen patiently and to act decisively is the hallmark of democratic leadership.

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