Gulzarilal Nanda was an economist and politician from India who focused on labor problems. After the demise of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 & Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966, he served as India's Interim Prime Minister for two 13-day periods. Both of his stints came to an end as the parliamentary party of the ruling Indian National Congress picked a new leader. In 1997, he received the Bharat Ratna, India's prestigious award honor.
Acting Prime Minister is not a clause of the Indian Constitution, contrary to popular belief. Both of his tenures were unremarkable, although they occurred at a delicate moment for the country, following Nehru's death in 1962, shortly after a conflict with China, and Shastri's death in 1965, shortly after a conflict with Pakistan. Nanda died on January 15, 1998, at the age of 99; he was the longest surviving former State Leader from November 25, 1997, when former Malawian President Hastings Banda deceased, until his death. Nanda was the last remaining member of the 2nd and 3rd Nehru ministries, as well as the last remaining state leader born in the nineteenth century when he died.