Shastri, Shri Lal Bahadur

Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri (shrē läl bähä´dŏŏr shäs´trē), 1904–66, Indian political leader. He joined Mohandas Gandhi's noncooperation movement in 1921 and studied at the nationalist Kashi Vidyapeth school, where he was given the title Shastri [learned in the scriptures]. Elected to the central legislature in 1952, he served as minister for railways (1952–56), minister of commerce and industry (1957–61), and minister of home affairs (1961–63) before succeeding Jawaharlal Nehru as prime minister in 1964. Following the India-Pakistan War of 1965, Shastri met in Tashkent with President Ayub Khan of Pakistan and signed a "no-war" declaration. He died the next day (Jan. 11, 1966).

See biography by J. N. Yadav (1971); study by R. C. Gupta (1966).

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: Shastri, Shri Lal Bahadur. Encyclopedia title: The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. © 2012 The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. Used with the permission of Columbia University Press. All Rights Reserved. Publisher: The Columbia University Press. Place of publication: Not available. Publication year: 2013.

This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.