40th Death Anniversary of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri
	11:16 IST

The 40th Death Anniversary of Bharat Ratna and India’s second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri is being observed in the country today. A prayer meeting with bhajans and kirtans was held at the late leader’s samadhi at Vijay Ghat in New Delhi. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was amongst the first visitors to pay floral tributes at the samadhi of Lal Bahadur Shastri. Delhi’s lieutenant Governor, Shri B.L. Joshi and Chief Minister Smt. Shiela Disxit were also early visitors who paid tributes at the samadhi. Lal Bahadur Shasti’s sons, Shri Sunil Shastri and Shri Anil Shashtri along with their families also paid floral tributes. Several dignitaries and ordinary people also visited the samadhi and seated at the prayer meeting. Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on October 2, 1904 at Mughal Sarai in Varanasi District in Uttar Pradesh. In 1921 Shastri responded to Mahatma Gandhi’s call to strengthen the Non-Cooperation movement and was arrested on various occasions as a political worker. He worked as Minister of Railways and Transport in the Union Government. His tenure as minister of Railways came to an end in 1956 after he resigned over a railway accident in Tamilnadu accepting moral responsibility. He also held portfolios of Communication, Commerce and Home Affairs. On June 9, 1964 he was sworn in as India’s second Prime Minister after Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru’s death. During war with Pakistan, his slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ became instantly popular. On 11th January 1966 Lal Bahadur Shastri passed away in Tashkent in the erstwhile Soviet Union after signing the famous Tashkent Declaration. …… PVR