Lal Bahadur Shastri, India’s second Prime Minister, was honoured by PM Narendra Modi at the Shastri Memorial in Tashkent during his visit to Uzbekistan. This note lists the Lal Bahadur Shastri facts that prelims papers repeatedly ask.
Why in News?
PM Modi paid floral tribute at the Shastri Memorial in Tashkent and planted a tree with the Uzbek President, on the sidelines of his Central Asia engagements around the SCO summit.
Lal Bahadur Shastri: Key Facts for Prelims
- Second Prime Minister of India (1964β1966); born 2 October 1904 at Mughalsarai (now Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar); shares his birthday with Mahatma Gandhi.
- Coined ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ during the 1965 Indo-Pak war; promoted the Green Revolution (with C. Subramaniam and M.S. Swaminathan) and the White Revolution (supported Amul and creation of the National Dairy Development Board in 1965, Verghese Kurien).
- Freedom struggle: Non-Cooperation (1920), Civil Disobedience (1930) and Quit India (1942) movements; served years in British jails.
- First Railway Minister to resign on moral grounds after the Ariyalur rail accident (1956).
- Signed the Tashkent Agreement on 10 January 1966 with Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan, mediated by Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin; died in Tashkent the same night.
- First person to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously (1966). Memorial in Delhi: Vijay Ghat.
Interconnected static points
- Order of Prime Ministers: Nehru (1947β64) β Gulzarilal Nanda (acting) β Shastri (1964β66) β Nanda (acting) β Indira Gandhi (1966).
- Tashkent Agreement: both sides withdrew to pre-August 1965 positions and renounced use of force β contrast with the Shimla Agreement (1972) after the 1971 war.
- Shastri’s title ‘Shastri’ is a degree from Kashi Vidyapith, not a surname.
- IndiaβUzbekistan: Uzbekistan is a member of SCO; India’s ChabaharβINSTC connectivity and the IndiaβCentral Asia Summit (2022) engage Tashkent.
Quick Revision Table: Lal Bahadur Shastri
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position | 2nd Prime Minister (1964β66) |
| Slogan | Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan |
| Agreement | Tashkent Agreement, 10 January 1966 (with Ayub Khan) |
| Mediator | USSR (Alexei Kosygin) |
| Award | First posthumous Bharat Ratna (1966) |
| Revolutions backed | Green Revolution; White Revolution (NDDB) |
| Memorial | Vijay Ghat, Delhi |
Trap / Confusing Points: Lal Bahadur Shastri
| Confusion | Correct Position |
|---|---|
| Shastri signed the Shimla Agreement | No β Tashkent Agreement (1966); Shimla was Indira Gandhi (1972) |
| Tashkent Agreement was brokered by the USA | No β by the Soviet Union |
| Shastri was the first Bharat Ratna recipient | No β first to receive it posthumously |
| Shastri’s birthday is 2 October 1906 | No β 2 October 1904 |
5 Practice MCQs on Lal Bahadur Shastri
1. The Tashkent Agreement (1966) was mediated by which country?
a. United States
b. United Kingdom
c. Soviet Union
d. China
Ans: C
Explanation: Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin mediated between Shastri and Ayub Khan.
2. Who was the first person to receive the Bharat Ratna posthumously?
a. Jawaharlal Nehru
b. Lal Bahadur Shastri
c. K. Kamaraj
d. Vinoba Bhave
Ans: B
Explanation: Shastri was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1966.
3. The slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ was given during which war?
a. 1947β48 war
b. 1962 war
c. 1965 war
d. 1971 war
Ans: C
Explanation: Shastri coined it during the 1965 Indo-Pak war to rally soldiers and farmers.
4. The National Dairy Development Board, whose creation Shastri supported, was set up in:
a. 1955
b. 1965
c. 1970
d. 1975
Ans: B
Explanation: NDDB was founded in 1965 at Anand under Verghese Kurien.
5. The memorial of Lal Bahadur Shastri in Delhi is called:
a. Shanti Van
b. Shakti Sthal
c. Vijay Ghat
d. Kisan Ghat
Ans: C
Explanation: Vijay Ghat is Shastri’s samadhi; Shanti Van is Nehru’s; Kisan Ghat is Charan Singh’s.
Exam tip: Revise Lal Bahadur Shastri together with the static links above; UPSC and APPSC prelims often frame questions from these interconnections.
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