Patna(Bihar): RJD supremo Lalu Prasad turned 75 today. Despite being barred from contesting elections, the politics of Bihar revolves around this politician who has seldom given up in any situation.
Every passing year, his aura is increasing so is his vote bank in Bihar. Unlike other politicians Lalu is blessed with the gift of the gab and he uses this particular art against his rivals to ensure his victory. He is the darling for the media and his presence and absence both makes news not only in the state but at national level as well. On his 75 birthday, RJD workers and supporters are celebrating the occasion in a big way and people thronged to his residence in large numbers to wish him.
Flowers, bouquets, sweets and cakes were showered at 10, Circular Road residence where Lalu resides along with his family members. People in Bihar firmly believe that he is an undiluted person who goes out of the way to help when somebody is in trouble. It is very difficult to develop proximity with Lalu but once anyone does then he or she should rest assured that Lalu would be always ready to help no matter what comes.
It is said that Lalu is not the man of the system and he breaks it whenever requires. While speaking to Nalin Verma who co-authored Lalu Prasad Yadav's autobiography – Gopalganj to Raisina said, “When he was the chief minister of Bihar, he decided to go out and inspect how poor people used to sleep during the chilly winter. While roaming on the street he found poor shivering due to the cold.
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He ordered the shop to open at midnight and bring the blankets for the poor people. Don't think that bill was not paid, it was paid later as per the government procedures but Lalu did what was more important. Such a thing makes Lalu unique and different from others.” In 2013, he was convicted in a famous fodder scam case and sent to jail. Despite that his relevance could be understood from the fact that all his rivals like Nitish and Narendra Modi do politics keeping Lalu in center because Lalu has the popularity.
Sankarshan Thakur, another author and senior-most journalist of Bihar who has written books like 'The making of Laloo Yadav -The unmaking of Bihar' and 'The Brothers Bihari' on Lalu and Nitish said, that Lalu is probably the most charismatic leader in Bihar has seen; and at the peak of his power in the mid-1990s, he seemed invincible.
“Lalu, however, let his hunger and arrogance get the better of him. He came pregnant with a magical promise and delivered hell. All through the early 1990s hope surged around him until he took fright and leave of his obligations and caged himself in his palace of power, the very 1 Aney Marg which he started to believe was his for keeps,” said Thakur.
Asked about any particular incident which remembered, Thakur further said, “The then chief election commissioner T.N. Seshan had decided to enforce a blemishless election in Bihar, the graveyard of free and fair polls. Seshan had choked the state with paramilitary forces. He had postponed elections four times. The campaign had become a duel between the chief election commissioner and Lalu.
The RJD supremo had been relatively unbothered by the opposition but Seshan had worried him. Lalu said Seshan pagla saand jaise kar raha hai, maaloome nahin hai ki hum rassa baandh ke khataal mein band kar sakte hain’ (Seshan is behaving like a raging bull, he does not know that I can tame him and tie him up and lock him among the cows in my shed).”
“The night Seshan had faxed his fourth postponement order to the chief minister’s office from Delhi, Lalu had been a bit of a raging bull himself. He had called up the state’s chief electoral officer, a copybook bureaucrat called R.J.M. Pillai, and blasted him. Eji Pillai hum tumahara chief minister hai or tum humara afsar, ee Seshanwa kahan se beech mein tapakta rahta hai? (Pillai, I am your chief minister and you are my officer, where does Seshan keep dropping in from?)
Before Pillai could begin to stutter at the other end, Lalu had let loose the second burst of fire. "Aur fax message bhejta hai! Ee amir log ka khilaona le kar ke tum log garib log ke khilaaf consipiracry karte ho? Sab fax-foox uda denge, election ho jaane do' (and he has the temerity to inform me on fax! You people are using expensive toys to conspire against the poor? I will send all your fax machines packing, let the election be over), "Thakur asserted.
Three things stay with Lalu all the time. The life spent as a child in his village, the memory and curiosity related to that life. This keeps Lalu as a lively person even in the hardship and crisis situation in life or during any challenges. Santosh Singh, Assistant Editor, The Indian Express and Author who has also written books like 'JP to BJP- Bihar After Lalu apart from Nitish' and 'Ruled or Misruled-Story and Destiny of Bihar shared the old memories with Lalu.
“There are two sides of Lalu Prasad - the one who was instrumental in social empowerment and one who failed as an administrator. As for his great connection with people, once while travelling back to Patna from Sasaram, he suddenly asked the driver to stop the car. He was a man of easy protocols. He knocked at the door of a hut. Someone from inside asked: "Who is this?" Then CM said: "Lalu". When again asked the same question, Lalu said: "I am your Lalu, Lalua". The overwhelmed poor man opened the thatched gate and fell in the embrace of Lalu Prasad".
Singh further said, “Once while travelling back to UP via Gopalganj, Lalu had an uncomfortable ride. He cursed his road construction minister Iliyas Hussain said: "I feel like putting my minister on a tractor trolley and get driven with the speed of 60 kmph so that he can realise how it feels to travel on bad roads.” On the platinum birth celebration the RJD leaders and workers have been given tasks to feed the poor people.
After a gap of five years, Lalu is celebrating his birthday along with his family members. Wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, daughter Misa Bharti and other leaders wished Lalu on his 75th birthday. Though Lalu is suffering from heart and kidney ailments, his spirit is never low.
Patna based political expert Dr Sanjay Kumar said, “Lalu is a mass leader, he is crowd puller who gave voices to the deprived people in society. His style of politics was different and that's the reason that from 1900 till date, Bihar politics revolves around him. Coming from a poor family, Lalu had no political background and he became the kingmaker through his own hard work and dedication which is something incredible.”
He further said, “Unlike other CMs, Lalu is bold and brave. As a CM of Bihar It was Lalu who had ordered to arrest one of the BJP's most powerful leaders L K Advani when he was on way to Ayodhya from Somnath to campaign for Ram temple at the disputed Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya. Advani Ji was travelling from state to state but his Rath Yatra was stopped in Bihar by the then CM Lalu. A big message had gone that Lalu prevented communal polarisation and for that people will always remember him.”
