The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Government to name Alamatti dam after Lal Bahadur Shastri

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 06, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Government to name Alamatti dam after Lal Bahadur Shastri

Special Correspondent

Rich tributes paid to former Prime Minister at birth centenary celebrations

REMEMBERING SHASTRI: The former Union Minister Anil Shastry (left) and his wife, Manju Shastry, along with the Minister for Cooperation, R.V. Deshpande (right), looking at a photo exhibition at the inauguration of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Centenary C elebrations at the Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha on Friday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: The Government has decided to name the Alamatti dam in Bagalkot district and the proposed Bangalore Development Authority layout at Anjanapura here after the former Prime Minister the late Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Paying rich tributes to Shastri at his birth centenary celebrations at the Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha, the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, also announced that a statue of Shastri will be installed in the precincts of the Vidhana Soudha.

Foundation stone

It was Shastri who laid the foundation stone for the Upper Krishna Project, of which the Alamatti dam is a part, in 1964.

The noted columnist Kuldip Nayyar, who delivered a lecture on Shastri's life and contribution to the nation, said the former Prime Minister had tried to resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan by peaceful means.

In August 1965 heavy fighting broke out between the two countries, and a ceasefire was agreed upon in September 1965. Shastri and the then Pakistani President Ayub Khan signed the Tashkent agreement in the presence of the then Prime Minister of the erstwhile USSR, Alexei Kosygin, in January 1966, a few hours before Shastri's death. Shastri also accepted a unilateral ceasefire with China in 1962 and protected the country's borders, Mr. Nayyar said.

The life of the second Prime Minister of the country was the absorbing saga of a little man, who, while suffering the rigours of poverty in early life, reached political eminence through the strength of his character.

When Shastri died, he left behind no wealth or property; instead he left an example, which is morally inspiring in an age riddled with political corruption, the columnist said.

It was Shastri who for the first time conceived the idea of an ombudsman to eradicate corruption in public life, he said.

Shastri gave priority to boosting foodgrain production and generation of employment to tackle hunger and poverty. Although Shastri's tenure as Prime Minister lasted only 13 months (June 9, 1964 to January 11, 1966), it was a period of high drama during which several social and political issues of national importance and international interest, including a major war against Pakistan, came up, Mr. Nayyar said.

Shastri resigned as Minister for Railways in 1956 holding himself responsible for a railway accident in Tamil Nadu (Ariyalur) in which many lives were lost. The unprecedented gesture was greatly appreciated by Parliament and the country, he said.

The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, speaking in Parliament on the incident, extolled Shastri's integrity and high ideals. He said he was accepting the resignation because it would set an example in constitutional propriety and not because Shastri was in any way responsible for what had happened.

In between his ministerial assignments, he demonstrated organising abilities and figured in the Congress victories in the first three general elections, Mr. Nayyar said.

Man of integrity

After more than 30 years of dedicated service, he came to be known as a man of great integrity and competence. Humble, tolerant, with great inner strength and resoluteness, he was a man of the people who understood their language.

Shastri was deeply influenced by the political teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. His slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" is popular even today, he said.

The Ministers M. Mallikarjun Kharge and R.V. Deshpande; the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Krishna; the former Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily; Anil Shastri, son of Lal Bahadur Shastri; and Haranahalli Ramaswamy, former Law Minister, were present.

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