Some politicians have an uncanny knack of carving a niche for themselves even in hostile atmosphere. Lalu Prasad is one of them. Political pundits predicted that Lalu would be reduced to being the most hated leader in Jharkhand after its creation and his RJD would lose its “existence” in the new state when he repeatedly uttered in 1999 that “Jharkhand will be created over my body”.
So vociferous was his opposition to Jharkhand then that he emerged as an enemy of the new state particularly in the minds of the forces fighting for decades for Jharkhand’s creation.
However, seven years down the line, he has emerged as a king maker in Jharkhand. Some observers have described the fledgling Madhu government as the “return of Lalu raaj” in Jharkhand. Observers are not wrong in the sense everyone knows Lalu played a pivotal role in toppling the Munda government and saddling the Koda one.
Accompanying Lalu on his journey from Patna to a Ranchi Jail in 2001 in connection with fodder scam cases, I vividly remember how the villagers loathed his cavalcade as he entered Jharkhand. I heard people hurling abuses and chanting “Jharkhand ke dusman wapas jao”, when Lalu stopped at Tilaiya, Hazaribagh and many places from Ramgarh to Ormajhi.
The beleaguered Lalu sensed that the air in Jharkhand was thick with hostility against him. The state had Babulal Marandi. After getting out Lalu got a RJD office opened in the Russian Hostel here. He developed a politically workable equation with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) of Shibu Soren who had supported the Nitish Kumar-led 13-day old NDA government in Bihar in 1999.
In 2004 Lok Sabha polls and also in 2005 Assembly polls Lalu concentrated hard in Jharkhand working in tandem with the Congress, CPI and JMM. His efforts paid off. His RJD won two Lok Sabha seats in 2004 polls and seven assembly seats in 2005 polls. And despite his disastrous utterances, Lalu almost retained his hold in Jharkhand.
And now the state has a chief minister who loves to touch Lalu’s feet. After all, it was Lalu Yadav who among other UPA stalwarts was first to drop Koda’s name as the CM.
I had the opportunity to informally talk with Lalu recently when he came here to set in motion the formation of a new government.
When I asked him if he remembered how strongly he had opposed the Jharkhand concept, Lalu replied candidly, “I do remember”.
He, however, smartly justified his opposition. “I opposed it as matter of principle on emotional and historical grounds,” he explained, before adding, “before bifurcation the united state was referred to as Birsa Munda ka Bihar, Sidhu-Kanho ka Bihar. I didn’t want Bihar to lose its historical legacy by getting the places where our idols, Birsa Munda and Sidhu Kanhu were born, segregated.”
He added: “My political opponents, described my opposition to new state as opposition to the tribals’ cause. But I knew that the BJP’s description will never work for I have championed the cause of tribals, Dalits, backwards and minorities throughout my political life. And this cause will always stay dear to me.”
“Secondly,” confided Lalu, “I opposed the creation of Jharkhand because the Sangh Parivar had embarked on the mission to ‘Hinduise’ the gullible tribals and turn Chhotanagpur region into Nagpur-the seat of RSS. The reactionary RSS fed on the feudal forces has never worked for the betterment of tribals. I did not want the new state go in BJP’s hands.”
“The people saw through Sangh Parivar’s game. The BJP will never return to power in Jharkhand. You can take it from me,” he emphasised raising his fingers in a V-sign.
Ridiculing the NDA’s allegation that UPA had propped a farcical government by installing an Independent as CM, Lalu adds as a final touch, “Jharkhand has got its first peoples’ government. It had an anti-people government so far.”
