When Kosygin called Lal Bahadur Shastri 'super Communist'

Late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri during his ill-fated Tashkent visit in 1966 lent a coat gifted to him by his then Soviet Union counterpart Alexei Kosygin to one of his accompanying staff members, prompting his host to dub him a 'super Communist'.
This is among several anecdotes about India's second Prime Minister that find mention in a book "Lal Bahadur Shastri: Lessons in Leadership", co-authored by his son Anil Shastri and writer Pavan Choudary.
When Shastri left or Tashkent on January 3, 1966 for his meeting with Pakistan President Gen Ayub Khan, it was very cold and he was only carrying his usual khadi woollen coat, the book says.

Kosygin realised that the coat Shastri wore was not warm enough to ward off the snowy winter winds of central Asia and wanted to present him a Russian overcoat but was not sure how to do so, it says.
"Finally at a function, he presented a Russian coat as a gift to the Prime Minister hoping that he would wear it in Tashkent. Next morning, Kosygin noticed that Shastriji was still wearing the khadi coat which he had brought from Delhi. Hesitantly, he asked the Prime Minister whether he liked the overcoat which he gave to him," the authors say.

"Shastriji replied in the affirmative and said, 'It is really warm and very comfortable for me. However, I have lent it to one of my staff members who was not carrying a good woollen coat to wear in this severe winter. I will surely use your gift during my future trips to cold countries'," they wrote.

Kosygin narrated this incident during his welcome address at a cultural programme organised in honour of Shastri and Khan.
He remarked, "We are Communists but Prime Minister Shastri is a super Communist."
The book, published by Wisdom Village Publications, carries tidbits encapsulating Shastri's childhood, growing up years and political life. Each anecdote is narrated by his son Anil.