Maverick Politician

Lalu Prasad Yadav has infused much-needed wit and charm into Indian politics. It is, however, his political acumen that has helped the RJD emerge as a big political player

- Umesh Kumar Ray

LALU Prasad Yadav’s political journey from “Gopalganj to Raisina” has been a colourful one; as colourful as his personality. His early life in Phulwaria village in Gopalganj district of Bihar was confined to farming and buffalo rearing, but it did not take long for him to transform into a dynamic politician who has walked through some of the most powerful corridors of the country.

He was just six when he was sent to Patna where his elder brothers were working at the Patna Veterinary College. He completed his matriculation from a local school and joined BN College. It was the early seventies. Student politics was on the boil and Lalu Yadav got drawn to it.

He entered mainstream politics in 1975. Socialist icon and Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur was instrumental in getting him a Lok Sabha ticket in the 1977 elections. At 29, Lalu Yadav became a parliamentarian.

The Seeds of RJD’s Inception The year 1996-1997 was a turbulent one for Lalu Yadav, but the turbulence paved the way for the formation of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which ruled Bihar for the next nine years. 

Lalu Yadav was named prime accused in the fodder scam that was traced back to 1978 when Shyam Sundar Das was the chief minister of the state. He was interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The then CBI director informed the media that the agency had ample evidence to file a charge sheet. The arrest was imminent.

In the meantime, scores of Janata Dal leaders mounted pressure on him to resign from the chief minister’s post. But Lalu was adamant. After all, he was the protagonist of the consecutive wins of the party in Bihar.