LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI.

Nehru despite making Indira Gandhi his PS in later years refused to name a successor to him. When Nehru died, there were two leaders of eminence at that time in the Congress who were fit to take the mantle in Morarji Desai and Lal Bhadur Shastri.

Morarji Desai was the senior and more experienced a sound administrator and was scrupulously honest. But he was inflexible, arrogant and self righteous and is a right winger. He was also unpopular with a large section of the party.

Shastri was mild, tactful and malleable, highly respected and known to be personally incorruptible.

Now, who is to decide the succession? At that time in the Congress, there were an influential group of politicians known as the Syndicate. This group was formed in 1963. It consisted of 5 people and they are:

1.       K.Kamaraj the Congress President.

2.       Atulya Ghosh of Bengal- Regional party boss.

3.       S.K.Patil of Bombay-Regional party boss.

4.       N.Sanjeevareddy of AP-Regional party boss.

5.       S.Nijalingappa of Mysore- Regional party boss.

They favored Shastri because he had a wider acceptability in the party and because they felt that he is more amenable and would not challenge their leadership of the party.

Morarji Desai retired from the contest and Shastri was elected unopposed in June 1964.

Shastri as expected by the party bosses did not change anything in the party. He retained Nehru’s cabinet with the only addition being brining in Indira Gandhi as minister for Information and Broadcasting. Under him the ministers functioned independently and he did not interfere in state administration. He kept a low profile until almost to the end of his tenure.

The country was beset with a number of problems but Shastri government did not deal with them in a decisive way and pursued a policy of drift instead.

In early 1965 the official language problem with Hindi Vs English flared up but the government failed to handle it and allowed the situation deteriorate. This was however, finally resolved in early 1966.

The demand for a Punjabi speaking state and Goa’s merger with Maharastra were also allowed to simmer.

There was a slowdown in industrial growth in the previous few years and the balance of payments situation looked grave. The most critical problem was the shortage of food. Agricultural production slowed down and there was a drought in many states in 1965. Buffer food stocks were depleted to a dangerous level. No firm steps were however taken by the government and the Chief Ministers of the food grain surplus states refused to cooperate. After the Indo Pak war the US suspended all food aid and the government was forced to introduce food rationing in 7 major cities. Although the concept of Green Revolution was mooted no concrete steps were taken to pursue it vigorously and only after Indiras arrival as the PM effective steps were taken on that front.

Critics inside and outside the party accused Shastri of indecision and also for failing to control his cabinet.  Shastri was so stung by criticism that once while talking to a newsman he wondered that whether his offering himself for the PM’s post was the right decision and whether he had the capacity to carry the burden the office involved.

With the passage of time and the criticism affected Shastri and he started changing himself so much that Kamaraj complained that important decisions were being taken without consulting him. Shastri intiated the concept of PM’s Office by setting up a PM Secretariat headed by LK Jha.    

Shastri’s moment came with the Indo Pak war of 1965. There was a great unrest in the Kashmir valley fomented by Sheikh Abdullah and other dissident leaders. Pakistan saw this as an opportunity for intervention.

First came the probe when in April 1965, the Pakistani army occupied a disputed territory in the Rann of Kutch. On British mediation India and Pakistan agreed to refer the dispute to international arbitration.  Due to the nature of terrain the Indian response was weak and Pakistan saw that as a weakness of the Indian army.

In August 1965 Pakistan sent well trained infiltrators into the Kashmir valley hoping to fuel and uprising there so that thereafter their military could follow.  Shastri took a decisive step this time. He asked the army to cross the ceasefire line and block the passes through which the infiltration was occurring and capture strategic posts like Kargil, Uri and Haji Pir. The entire country rallied behind the PM unlike in the 1962 China war where there was serious dissension.   

In response Pakistan launched a massive tank and infantry attack in the Chhamb sector of J&K threatening India’s only road link with Kashmir. Shastri ordered the army not only just defend Kashmir but move into Pakistan towards Lahore and Sialkot. Even then war was declared neither by Pakistan nor by India till that time.

USA and Britain immediately cut off arms, food and other supplies to both India and Pakistan. China declared India as the aggressor and made threatening noises but the Soviet Union dissuaded China from taking any action.

Under pressure from the UN both the countries declared a ceasefire on 23^rd September 1965. The war in fact was inconclusive with neither side having the victory. The 3 weeks of fighting had done immense damage to the economies of both the countries. The infiltration bid however was effectively thwarted and the Kashmiri’s did not support Pakistan as they expected them to do.  

The 1962 war had damaged the Indian psyche badly and the Pakistan war of 1965 though inconclusive provided a morale booster to the Indians. They were euphoric and Shastri became a national hero.

After the ceasefire under the supervision of the Soviet Union Shastri met the Pakistani president Ayub Khan at Tashkent in January 1966 and signed the Tashkent declaration. Shastri who had heart trouble suffered from a heart attack at Tashkent on 10th January 1966 and died after a tenure of 19 months as the Indian PM.