There was a Prime Minister in the country who wrote articles in newspapers to meet his household expenses. You have recognized it correctly, today we are talking about former Prime Minister of the country Lal Bahadur Shastri. Today we will tell you the story of Lal Bahadur Shastri’s life, when Shastri ji had received an overcoat from Russia, but he gave it to a needy person.
Russian PM Presented an overcoat
This incident is of January 1966. A meeting was called for an agreement between India and Pakistan under the leadership of the Soviet Union. In which Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had gone to Tashkent of the Soviet Union (now in Uzbekistan). Where the then President of Pakistan Ayub Khan was also present. At that time it was very cold in Tashkent and Lal Bahadur Shastri was wearing only his woolen coat. The then Prime Minister of Russia, Alexei Kosygin, saw his attire and understood from the cold of Tashkent that Lal Bahadur Shastri might fall ill. Thinking this, he gifted him an overcoat, wearing which he could protect himself from the cold.
But Lal Bahadur Shastri did not wear that coat. Next day, when Kosygin met Lal Bahadur Shastri wearing his khadi coat, he was surprised and asked. Kosygin thought that perhaps he did not like the coat. But he hesitated and asked Lal Bahadur Shastri whether he did not like the coat. The then Prime Minister of India replied that the coat was not only good but also very warm. But I have given it to one of my team members to wear for a few days. Actually, he had not brought warm clothes with him to wear in this winter.
After this, a cultural function was organized in Tashkent in the honor of the Prime Minister of India and the President of Pakistan. In this program, the Prime Minister of Russia had made the entire incident public and said that even though the people of the Soviet Union are communists, the Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri is a super communist.
Article in the newspaper
Kuldeep Nayyar has told in his autobiography that he convinced Lal Bahadur Shastri to write articles in newspapers. Somehow he agreed to this. After this, his articles started getting published in four newspapers. Every newspaper paid him Rs 500 for an article, which was his monthly salary as an MP. In this way, he started getting two thousand rupees more every month.
Shastri ji’s death in Tashkent
On January 10, 1966, India and Pakistan met in Tashkent. The agreement was signed. However, the very next day i.e. on 11 January, Lal Bahadur Shastri died there. After this, Pakistan President Ayub Khan was the first to reach the place where Lal Bahadur Shastri was staying. During this time, after seeing his dead body, the only thing that came out of Ayub Khan’s mouth was that this is the person who could have brought Pakistan and India together. When the mortal remains of Lal Bahadur Shastri ji were brought to Tashkent airport to be brought to India. At that time the flags of the three countries, Soviet Union, India and Pakistan were lowered. Soviet Prime Minister Kosygin and President Ayub Khan themselves shouldered the responsibility of carrying the body in the plane.