When the language agitation sprang up in India, there was agitation in Tamil Nadu also. There was severe opposition to the possibility of a switch from English to Hindi by January 1, 1965. Shastri fully understood the apprehensions of the southern states and assured their leaders that Hindi will not be imposed on them. He also introduced the Official Language Bill which provided that even after January 1965, the use of English may be continued in addition to Hindi for all official purposes. People of the southern states were touched by this pragmatic solution.

Shastri was the first in free India to establish the convention of constitutional responsibility of the minister for acts of omission and failures of the department in his charge. When there was a serious train accident in the then state of Madras, Shastri accepted moral responsibility and tendered his resignation. Despite Prime Minister Nehru’s dissuasion, Shastri quit office.

As a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly and as a member of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal for a number of years, I was often asked by my colleagues, “After Nehru who?” I used to tell them that under our democratic Constitution, we would be able to find the right person when the time came. On the demise of Nehru in 1964, the Congress Working Committee arrived at what was known as a consensus formula which required the president of the Congress, Kamaraj, to ascertain the wishes of the MPs individually and announce the person supported by the majority. Two candidates emerged — Morarji Desai and Shastri. The count showed that a large majority was in favour of Shastri. Morarji accepted the decision and seconded the nomination of Shastri.

... contd.