Like it or not, Lalu phenomenon is here to stay

Himanshu Shekhar Love him or hate him, one can not ignore the man we are discussing- Lalu Prasad Yadav, the name synonymous with Bihar. Today he is Bihar’s most discussed face, be it in political circles or in the news room or even in management classrooms, the Lalu phenomenon is intriguing and most compelling. Lalu’s journey from his birth place Phulwaria in Gopalganj to the ‘Rail Bhavan’ has all the ingredients of a pot-boiler Bollywood script. Add to it the charm and controversies with a bit of Lalu’s ‘tadka’ and you have the perfect recipe.

Political Journey Lalu, a JP follower first came to Lok Sabha in 1977 after Satyendra Narayan Sinha handpicked him to contest for Parliament. Janata Party made a clean sweep in Bihar, winning all 54 seats. Never before had anyone heard of him outside Patna University campus. The political journey for him actually took off after he was first elected as the President of Patna University Students Union. Over a decade later in 1989, Lalu piped Ram Sunder Das, a former Chief Minister and took office to the state’s most coveted post. Many in the hinterland celebrated it as the rise of a star who would supposedly give them a voice and acceptability that they failed to get in independent India. Lalu was their man, and people thought he would help them get rid of the much hated ‘shudra’, ‘dom’, Chamar’ tag. Development was a non-issue and Lalu’s Janata Dal won in Bihar with a thumping majority giving a crushing blow to India’s oldest party in the state. But the things did not remain the same for too long. Lalu went on creating foes within and outside his party because of his autocratic style of functioning. Many like Ram Vilas Paswan, Nitish Kumar, Ranjan Yadav, once his trusted lieutenants, started feeling alienated but no one dared to go openly against Bihar’s blue eyed boy. Lalu, many believed, was on the path of becoming the Jyoti Basu of Bihar. The Blot The expose of the infamous Chara Ghotala – the fodder scam worth Rs 950 crores earned Lalu regime a blot that he is yet to overcome. A deep nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and business mafia came to the fore and it gave enough fodder to the opposition parties to mount a pressure on Lalu with every passing day. It was not the only blot on his white Kurta. Lalu has often been accused of favouring criminals like Shahabudin, who is an accused for murdering JNU leader Chandrasekhar in Siwan. Lalu has been accused of Bihar’s economic disintegration and held responsible for preventing the state’s development. Following a PIL in the Supreme Court, CBI knocked at his doors. He was finally arrested but the state came to a standstill following dharnas and violent protests. This did not stop the probe against him, as large scale raids were conducted across the state and the murky revelations stunned the nation. JD- Split Demands for Lalu’s resignation grew stronger both from opposition and within his own party. On July 5th 1996 he parted ways with Janata Dal and formed what is currently known as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). With him he took along almost all MLAs and won a trust vote in the assembly. Janata Dal thus became a non entity in Bihar, but that was not the end of all troubles for him as legal hurdles continued to mount forcing him to pick his wife Rabri Devi for the Chief Minister’s job. Bihar got it’s first lady Chief Minister as Lalu called the shots from 1 Anne Marg – the CM house in Patna. M-Y Factor Since the time Lalu Yadav stopped LK Advani’s Rath in 1995 he became the champion of secular cause in Bihar, and minority community found a strong voice in him to safeguard against the hardline ‘Hindutva’ forces. Polarisation was clear- Yadavas who so far were ignored by successive Congress governments demanded their space as the Muslims had joined them. The MY equation brought its fruits which was harvested by none other than Lalu himself. Lalu cult His uncanny love hate relationship with media is now pretty well known. His attire may look funny to the English speaking urban middle class but experts believe that it is a carefully cultivated image which strikes a cord with common people whose messiah he became in Bihar. Humour has been one of his greatest strengths. Whether he is in news room discussions or in the Lok Sabha, his charm remains undiminished. Pranjoy Guha Thakurta a well known journalist points, “Laloo Yadav`s choice of language and idiom is deliberately rustic. He realizes only too well that the more he is berated by the English media for being a boor, the easier it is for him to project himself as a man of the people. He has gone out of his way to reinforce the fact that he is from a family of cowherds and had lived for many years in the quarters given to his brother as a government peon.” Talking to journalists wearing a sleeveless ganji (vest) and dhoti, while chewing paan, many other politicians would dread the thought of appearing in public but for Lalu Yadav, it is just a way to tell his supporters that he is one of them. Whacky would just be an understatement to describe his sense of humour, his ability to laugh at himself makes him special, though critics say it is just a way to avoid serious questions. As Railway Minister, Lalu has got accolades from every corner, but it would be interesting to see how his party does the same in Bihar. Challenging Nitish on his erstwhile territory would be a tough task for him but he has made right noises before elections by joining hands with Ramvilas Paswan. Together, the two can change the political dynamics of Bihar and that would be interesting to watch. But as long as coalition politics stays Lalu seems to remain a force – whether we like it or not.