MY second Laloo experience happened at his residence in Patna. It was the results day for the 2009 General elections in May that year. Around 11.30 am results had started coming in, first as a trickle, then, in sometime, in a wave. It became clear that it was a Nitish sweep. Laloo himself trailed from both Chapra and Patna. As media presence built up and it became clear that there was no escaping it, the doors of Laloo – technically Rabri’s – residence were thrown open to waiting journos. There sat laloo in the open courtyard under a tin shade, in his white sleeves-with-pocket vest and a pajama as rustic as he has always been. Despite a politician’s practiced control of emotions, it was clearly not Laloo’s day. “Sab humko hate karta hai,” he lamented, almost womanly in his complaint to the present media persons. “All have ganged up against him,” was his theme thru the day. The trail in Chapra turned to a lead bringing some cheer amid general gloom, and once it became clear that Laloo would scrape through, a cavalcade was readied, and out he came in the finest white to leave for Chapra. Clutching at something was better than taking media’s barbs at home. His RJD managed three seats. From being a possible king-maker, he was reduced to an eager onlooker in a matter of hours. He was allowed on board the UPA-2 but without the freedom to choose aisle or window seats.
Refresh@10 - III
GENERALLY it was believed that Modi would ride back to power on a Hindutva wave in December 2002. Yet Secularism branded leaders from across the country were flying into Gujarat to make their presence felt. And how could Lalu Prasad Yadav be not on the list. So he landed in Surat and carried a three day tour through Baroda and Ahmedabad. In his inimitable style, he would regale the audience with his EVM histrionics, making the beep sound – peeeeeeeen – as he pressed the button on a dummy machine. I had my run-in with him at Baroda during his press meet. Picking up on Modi's pet theme of terrorism that election, Lalu made a statement that as Bihar CM, he too handled terror situation from across the border in Bangladesh but never resorted to riots or encounters. It just hit me that Bihar never touched Bangladesh. I ventured only to hate my naivete and asked him in the open presser, "but lalu-ji Bihar does not touch Bangladesh". "It does," he hit back, before rubbing it in. "Is ladke ka bhoogol gol hai," This boy's geography is not proper, to a general laughter in the hall. I was non-plussed. A little embarrassed. Came back to office and checked the map. Bihar did not touch Bangladesh anywhere. Called up all friends in the fraternity as an exercise in salvage. To this day when I meet a Bihari, or a friend from Bengal, I ask whether Bihar touches Bangladesh. The answer is always no. But then that Lalu moment was not coming back again.
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