Lal Bahadur Shastri (Politics and Beyond)

Lal Bahadur Shastri is a nuanced view of the early influences, political associations and defining historical decisions of India's second prime minister.

Famous for the inspiring slogan, Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan', Lal Bahadur Shastri's prime ministership saw India ensuring respect for the farmer and the soldier. In his brief yet eventful tenure of nineteen months, he resolved some of the most contentious problems facing the country, by considering the problems of all sections of the society.

This book takes a closer look at his pioneering efforts at ensuring self-sufficiency in foodgrains by ushering in the Green Revolution. As the inspiration behind the original 'surgical strikes, it also highlights the laudatory manner in which Shastri motivated the Indian soldiers to effectively respond to Pakistan's military adventurism, by giving the green signal to the military to enter Pakistani soil.

Insightful, thought-provoking, and written in a lucid style by one of India's most respected political • commentators, Lal Bahadur Shastri focuses on the leader's greatest strengths—integrity, humility, simplicity and a self-effacing nature.

Dr Sandeep Shastri is the pro-vice-chancellor of Jain University and director of its Centre for Research in Social Sciences and Education. He is the national coordinator of Lokniti, an all-India network of social scientists involved in survey-based election and opinion studies. He is a featured election and political analyst for India Today TV and had earlier worked in the same capacity for CNN-IBN. He is a consultant to the Forum of Federations and is a senior advisor on constitutional reforms and the transition to democracy in Myanmar, Sudan and South Sudan. He has also been the chief consultant since 2012 for the Forum Project in Myanmar.