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Lalu tells it as he saw it

There are two images of Lalu Prasad Yadav that come to mind. In 1990, he had become the Bihar CM and out of sheer curiosity, I accompanied a friend, a student of LN Mishra Institute of Management in Patna, to a function to be addressed by him.

Lalu tells it as he saw it

Gopalganj to Raisina: My Political Journey —Lalu Prasad Yadav by Nalin Verma.



Sandeep Sinha

There are two images of Lalu Prasad Yadav that come to mind. In 1990, he had become the Bihar CM and out of sheer curiosity, I accompanied a friend, a student of LN Mishra Institute of Management in Patna, to a function to be addressed by him. Referring to the stranglehold of a particular political family over the institute, he described with his typical aggression how he had ended that hegemony: “Badhna (castrate) kar diya hai.” 

The second image is of the Garib rally in Patna that saw a massive crowd. As soon as Prime Minister VP Singh arrived, Lalu was on his feet, wielding an umbrella over VP Singh's head to shield him from the sun. Despite being the state CM, he did not wait for his aides to do so, the student leader inside him coming to fore when the occasion demanded.

As the years went by, the country in general and Bihar in particular were witness to his fiery, combative temperament, tempered by astute and earthy political sense. Author Nalin Verma traces the journey of Lalu Prasad Yadav. He describes him as not just a household name, but among the country's most influential leaders who have helped shape the political narrative.

 Lalu’s family had to toil hard to make ends meet. It made Lalu aware of the challenges that the poor and deprived have to face. This soft corner for the underprivileged did not desert him even when he was at the zenith of his popularity. It is evident in his efforts to empower them and to teach them the importance of being literate. 

He cut his teeth in politics under Jai Prakash Narayan, and was made the chairman of the steering committee that oversaw the movement against the Emergency, getting him elected as an MP when he was only 29. JP’s affection for him buttressed his credentials in politics, cemented in later years by the ideals of Ram Manohar Lohiya. 

He was in the Devi Lal camp but when he saw Devi Lal creating impediments in the functioning of the government, he met VP Singh and asked him to implement the Mandal Commission recommendations. 

According to the book, Lalu held the media responsible for pumping up Devi Lal’s vanity and pitching him against VP Singh. It implied implementing the Mandal report would have acted as bulwark against the challenges created by the Haryana strongman with his strong vote bank among the backward classes. 

It was an ironical parting of ways as it was Devi Lal who had supported him in being elected as the Bihar CM. VP Singh was supporting Ram Sundar Das.

The book is a candid and insightful first-person account of the leader’s tumultuous years in politics describing some major events like LK Advani’s rath yatra. Lalu recalls how he went to Advani and requested him not to embark upon the rath yatra as it would foment communal trouble. Advani refused. His account of how Advani was arrested is captivating. 

However, Lalu had a soft corner for him. When Advani was put under arrest in a guest-house later, he installed a hotline for him so he could speak to his wife, Kamla, every day. Lalu says the day Babri Masjid was demolished, he told Advani, “You will now never be able to become the PM.” The prophecy rang true. 

Lalu takes pains to point out that he has always been in the vanguard of the fight against the Sangh Parivar. He cites instances from the days of the JP movement to the present days as to how the saffron league, in cahoots with feudal forces, has always worked against him.

It is in this context that he sees his relationship with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who he says has always been friends with the RSS and the BJP. Despite their tempestuous relationship, Lalu acknowledges Nitish’s contribution and support in getting him elected as the Leader of Opposition in the state. He also recalls Nitish’s volte-face, how he first junked the BJP, then entered into an alliance with him, only to go back to the BJP later. 

The book reveals that Nitish again sent Lalu feelers for an alliance through Prashant Kishore as he wanted to break free from the BJP before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Lalu says he refused as he believes Nitish has lost his credibility and along with his friends in the BJP, will perform poorly in the elections. 

While one will have to wait for this prophecy to come true, the book does serve to create more ripples in the already choppy water of politics. He is full of praise for Sonia Gandhi, and for the dignity with which she conducts herself. He is all praise for Indira Gandhi, whom he opposed during Emergency, saying she had statesman-like qualities despite her many foibles. 

The book has a foreword by Sonia Gandhi. It has been written with Lalu’s characteristic candour, not holding back anything, lavishing praise and contempt in equal measures on his friends and foes. His rustic demeanour is only a veneer for a sharp political mind. Like him or dislike him, his emergence and that of many others like him is a tribute to Indian democracy and its resilience. 

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