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Lalu Prasad Yadav

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Lalu Prasad Yadav (Also spelt Laloo Prasad yadav ) .(Devanagari: लालू प्रसाद यादव) (born 1947),an Indian Politician,known for charismatic leadership and mass appeal is the Union Minister of India for Railways in the United Progressive Alliance government and also the president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, a Political party of India.Earlier he had been the Chief Minister of Bihar for seven years credited with being only person in chair having made official foreign visits.According to Limca Book of Records, he is the longest serving President of an Indian Political Party

Background

Lalu Prasad Yadav was born in a poor Yadav family. His father's name was Kundana Raiye. His native place is Phulwaria (district Gopalganj, Bihar). His parents were poor farmers. He earnt a Master's degree in Political Science from Patna University. Lalu's first political step was involvement in the elections of the Patna University students union, where he led the student movement inspired by Jai Prakash Narayan in the 1970s.

Political career

Lalu came into the limelight when he handed over a charter of demands to India's then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, during the emergency (see:Indian Emergency) as a student leader. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977 at the age of 29. Within a short span of 10 years, he became a formidable force in Bihar state politics. During the 1989 general and state assembly elections, he led the National Front coalition in Bihar to become a major political leader. He was soon elected Chief Minister of Bihar. Bihar was infamous for having many CMs in a short span of time before his appointment. He broke this jinx by lasting a full term. He surprised many with his performance in the following state assembly election by managing a majority on his own. Soon after Lalu became chief minister of Bihar in 1989, the BJP started the Mandir-agitation where an Indian politician L K Advani who is known for playing blatant communal politics, had threatened that if he was arrested there would be all around bloodshed in Bihar. L K Advani was also charged with delivering inflammatory speeches against minorities. Lalu Yadav ordered the arrest of L K Advani during the rath yatra on october 23 1990 at Samastipur. Laloo prevented Hindu-Muslim riots, which could have easily begun at that point, particularly in Bhagalpur, which had an uninterrupted record of communal violence going back to 1930s.The World Bank once lauded his party for its work in the 1990s on the economic front.

According to the BBC, police unearthed a Fodder Scam in 1996 worth Rs 950 crore (US$ 267 Million) in Bihar (going back into the previous Congress government) which allegedly involved Lalu and the state's leading bureaucrats and politicians however the probe itself was ordered by him. The fodder scam forced him to resign as chief minister and install his wife, Rabri Devi, as his successor. He was at a striking distance to become Prime Minister of India when Fodder Scam thwarted his chance and compelled him to loose Chief Ministreal berth. He formed the Rashtriya Janata Dal in 1997, after breaking away from the Janata Dal.After ruling Bihar for 15 years, in the November 2005 elections, his party,the RJD could win just 54 seats, which put his party in third place, after the Janata Dal United(JDU) and the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP).

As Railway minister

Yadav was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from Chhapra and Madhepura seats of Bihar. He was made the railway minister in the UPA Government. Later, he gave up the Madhepura seat.

  • He banned plastic cups used for serving tea at railway stations and announced that they will be replaced by kulhads (earthen cups). He said that this will generate more rural employment. Later, he also said that he had plans to introduce buttermilk and khadi for the railway passengers to generate more rural employment and reduce pollution.
  • In June 2004, he announced that he would travel by railway to get a first-hand experience of the problems faced by the Indian public; he once inspected the Patna railway station at midnight

, although there were no reports of him travelling by trains.

  • On August 10, 2004 he undertook a surprise check at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi and deducted the salaries of about 500 latecomer employees and sent them back.
  • On August 16, 2004, he carried out a surprise check on a goods train coming from Mumbai at Danapur station. He found that weights of consignments were under-assessed, leading to loss of revenue for Railways. He claimed that railway officials, transporters and consignees were part of a racket.A few top BJP leaders, associated with a company called Samrudha Overseas Pvt Ltd, were allegedly involved in the racket.

  • To check the crimes, he planned to introduce joint patrolling by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP).
  • On July 7, 2004, Lalu presented his first railway budget. Lalu didn't increase fares.He offered free second class travel for central governmental job-seeking travelers.
  • He announced launch of 55 new trains, only 23 of which have been shared jointly by Bihar and Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh was proposed to be given 20 additional trains, 10 of the existing trains will be extended and frequences of four will be increased during 2006-07.In the case of Maharashtra 15 new trains, 11 extended trains and increase in frequencies of four trains was announced.For Tamil Nadu,10 new trains, seven extension of trains and increase in frequency of two trains.For Andhra Pradesh 13 new trains, extension to 11 trains and frequencies of one train would be increased.
  • His trains including four Garib Raths connecting U P and Bihar with the South (chennai), Mumbai, Delhi and Amritsar is being seen as an attempt to reach out to the migrant workers from these areas.He introduced Garib Rath from the labour intensive areas of Bihar (Patna) and eastern part of the India to Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Amritsar for poor sections of the people, who in large numbers travel to these areas in search of livelihood
  • Lalu introduced three Garib Nawaz trains from three destinations of the state - Kishenganj, Yeshwantpur and Ranchi (now in Jharkhand) to Ajmer for pilgrimage at the Mazar of Khwaja Garib Nawaz.
  • Lalu also announced two new train for Rae Bareli, home constituency of UPA Chairperson and party chief Sonia Gandhi.
  • He said that he would revoke the contract of A H Wheeler & Co, which runs newspaper stands on most Indian railway stations, because they were enjoying monopoly ever since English (British) left India and would invite open tender.
  • In July 2004, Lalu lobbied the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to declare a Rs. 3225 crore aid package for Bihar.
  • On September 28, 2004,Lalu alleged Venkaiah Naidu,the then Union Rural Minister, of having sold off 55,000 tonne of wheat in the name of drought relief distribution in AP. "A CBI probe will be initiated to find the truth" he said..
  • In August, 2005, just before the assembly polls in Bihar, Laloo promised model railway stations, gauge conversion works and employment in Railways. Laloos's list of railway stations to be developed as "model stations" included 7 stations from Bihar and only 2 from the rest of India(). The seven stations in Bihar included Madhepura, Darbhanga, Patna, Kishenganj, Motihari, Araria and another station.
  • Lalu also "found" 80,000 old C and D grade vacancies in the Railways. Apart from this, he cut the general and second class fare by one rupee, and announced the implementation of internet based ticketing and reservations. He also announced plans for open ticketing and a new scheme on upgradation of lower class passengers to a higher class automatically.

Financial Turnaround of Indian Railways

Lalu Prasad Yadav is now credited with engineering the financial turnaround of Indian Railways, which was on the verge of bankruptcy. Under him, the Railways booked an unprecedented surplus of 110 billion rupees (2.47 billion dollars)

An impressed Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad is studying the Indian Railways turnaround story to make it a case study for its students. As part of his drive to modernise the railways Lalu Prasad Yadav has decided to send nearly 100 top officials abroad for training in latest techniques and sharpen their managerial skills in Management Schools of USA and France .


International interest in Lalu

It has been learnt through various sources that many foreign embassies and universities like the Harvard and HEC Management School,France have sought his bio-data to know more about him . It is reported that The Indian government has been inundated with requests from embassies and high commissions asking for Lalu's bio-data, as well as the possibility of a visit, ever since he became a minister in the central government. Speaking to Asia Times Online, Lalu said, "People all over the world want to know how the son of a cowherd has risen to such heights. Their interest in me is a victory of Indian democracy." One of his officials said more than 100 missions have sought his bio-data and asked questions about him . According to Sudhir Kumar, officer on special duty for Lalu Prasad Yadav,who was in France for a conference where he met Professor Steven R Ditmeyer, a former faculty member of Harvard and now on deputation to National Defense University, "The professor is intrigued by the man behind the success story of the railways and will be visiting India soon to learn more about him as well as the turnaround. His subject of the case study would be -- How has a man with no formal education brought about a change of this magnitude? On basis of his view, Harvard Business School will consider a case study on the railways,".On a similar note Karine Lejoly of HEC says, "We are looking at making the Indian Railways a part of our course. While nothing has been finalised as of now, I will be visiting India in October-November to talk to the concerned officials."

Lalu in popular culture

Many books have been written in praise of Lalu by local writers including Lalu Chalisa and Lalu Hala. These books are popular among the masses in the Hindi Heartland. Lalu is regarded as a cult figure among some of them. There are full time entertainers who mimic Lalu as a profession.According to a Zee News report many local barbers and saloons are earning handsome money by offering what they call the `Lalu style hair cut`.Krishna Thakur, a barber of Hajipur was quoted saying,"The style is a craze among the youths and even policemen".

Lalu as Brand

Lalu has been recognised as brand among indian industries..


In 2005, dolls called ‘Laluji’, manufactured by Speedage Corp., had become a big hit among kids.


A cosmetic pack branded as ‘Lalu Chale Sasural’ (Lalu goes to in-laws house) had become extremely popular among girls, especially in the areas such as Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Samastipur. Each packet was priced at Rs 23 and contained items of daily use like face powder, cream, earrings, sticker, and a necklace.


Lalu Chocolate is a big hit in rural areas of north Bihar districts like Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi and Madhubani .These toffees were produced by a company called Chetak and were available in two packs priced at Rs 1 and Rs 2. The toffees were packed in sachets which depicted Lalu in two outfits - one wearing his traditional dress, ‘kurta and pyjama’ with silver hair, and the other one as a magician dressed in trendy jacket and jeans.The company was able to sell more than 100,000 sachets of ‘Lalu ka Khazana’ toffees, since its launch, and was witnessing a steady demand.


In June 2006, it was reported that Prakash Agro Industries (Prakash Agro), an agro-based company in India, was selling cattle fodder under the brand name ‘Lalu Pashu Aahar’ .Satish Kumar Singh (Satish), Manager, Prakash Agro said that during the discussions on branding the fodder, they chose the ‘Lalu’ name as they felt that this name was very popular .Prakash Agro reported that the outcome of this branding strategy had surpassed the company’s expectations and they were facing problems in meeting the huge demand for their fodder. They were sending 200 tonnes of fodder everyday to the market and reported a monthly turnover of Rs.200 million per month.


Not only small companies even Amul ,Mortien and several others use Lalu as icon to sell their products

Criticism and Controversy

Lalu is criticized mainly for three things - his use of Vote Bank Politics, his support to notorious elements and corruption.

Vote Bank Politics

Lalu Yadav has been the master of mass mobilisation which means polarisation of castes in context of Bihar sometimes referred to as Vote Bank Politics. His Major vote banks are considered to be Muslims and Yadavs better known as MY factor of Indian Politics .Lalu is considered by many as the saviour of the lower castes and the Muslims in Bihar. His admirers hail him as a secular leader and a promoter of social justice. He once said - "Swarg nahin diya, lekin swar to diya." (I did not give them paradise, but I did give them voice). Laloo had once coined the term Bhurabal to collectively refer to Bhumihar, Rajput, Brahmin and Kayastha.

Notorious elements in his Fold

Some MPs belonging to Lalu's party (RJD) have criminal charges against them. The most notorious is the Siwan MP Mohammed Shahabuddin. Many of Lalu's own party members including Gopalganj MP Sadhu Yadav (brother of Lalu's brother-in-law Subhash Yadav) had asked him to sever ties with Shahbuddin.

Corruption

Lalu has been charged with corruption cases, the most famous being the "Fodder scam". In the Fodder Scam, the funds meant for cattle fodder were diverted from the animal husbandry department. Lalu was one of the main accused in multi-million rupee scam. After corruption charges compelled Lalu to step down as chief minister of Bihar in 1997, he made his wife Rabri Devi the chief minister. From 1997 to 2001, Lalu was sent to jail five times. Lalu was first sent to "Judicial remand" (Bihar Military Police guest house, Patna) on July 30, 1997 for 134 days. On October 28, 1998, he was again sent to the same guest house for 73 days. When the Supreme Court of India took exception to his guest house stay, he was shifted to the Beur jail in Patna. He was again remanded for 11 days on April 5, 2000, in a disproportionate assets case. He surrendered along with his wife, Rabri Devi, and was sent to the Beur Jail. Once Again for fodder scam, Lalu was remanded for a day in Beur jail on November 28, 2000. On November 26, 2001, he was again remanded, in a case related to the Fodder scam. Lalu accused NDA of creating a conspiracy against him. On October 1, 2004 the Supreme Court of India served a notice to Lalu and Rabri Devi on fodder scam. This was in response to a petition, which alleged that they have been interfering with the investigation.

Personal life

Lalu married Rabri Devi (who also held the post of Bihar's Chief Minister) in 1973 and has two sons and seven daughters. According to him, his large family is a protest against the forced sterilization during Indian Emergency (1975 - 77) . His eldest daughter is Misa Bharati, who is named after victory over draconian law that provided the police a free rein in the late 1970s. Subhash Yadav is Lalu's brother-in-law.

Bollywood Relation

Lalu has a big following in Bollywood. The list of his supporters includes Sunil Shetty, Raja Murad, Mahesh Manjrekar, Mahesh Bhatt to name a few. According to Shatrughan Sinha if Lalu would not have been a politician he would have become an actor.. Lalu did a cameo in a Bollywood movie titled Padamshree Laloo Prasad Yadav in 2004. The movie starred Sunil Shetty and Johnny Lever among others. Shekhar Suman, Johnny Lever and Paresh Rawal are frontline mimics of Laloo Yadav in Bollywood.Others are Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Raja Murad.

Relationship with Media

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Lalu has maintained uninterrupted good relationship with media people. This is despite the fact that many of them had been writing with pure malaise(see:media bias) ever since his first stint as CM. Lalu had banned many reporters within first year of his tenure for spreading false information about him. Some of these reporters hailed from most reputed Publishing Houses of India. One such weekly called Dharmayug has closed its operations indefinitely. Some of the fantastic claims they made were Lalu has studied upto High School only. With passage of time Lalu's stay in power humbled them but still one may find reminiscence of malaise which gets reflected in indirect references . He was once called the Most Telegenic Personality by TV anchor Rajat Sharma of India TV fame.


Positions held

  • 1977: Elected to 6th Lok Sabha at the age of 29.
  • 1980-1989 Member, Legislative Assembly (two terms) of Bihar.
  • 1989: Becomes the leader of Opposition, Bihar Legislative Assembly, Chairman, Pustakalaya Committee, Convenor, Committee on Public Undertakings, Re-elected to 9th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
  • 1990-1995 Member, Bihar Legislative Council
  • 1990-1997 Chief Minister, Bihar
  • 1995-1998 Member, Bihar Legislative Assembly
  • 1996: Lalu's name springs up in a major scam
  • 1997: parts with the Janata Dal and forms Rashtriya Janata Dal.
  • 1998 Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
  • 1998-1999 Member, General Purposes Committee, Committee on Home Affairs and its Sub Committee on Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
  • 2004 Re-elected to the 13th Lok Sabha (4th term).Appointed as Cabinet Minister looking after the Ministry of Railways. In 2004, he was elected to the Lok Sabha with his party emerging as a key ally of the Congress.

Footnotes and references

  1. Earlier, media used to spell Lalu as Laloo. In June, 2004, Lalu clarified that his name should be spelt as Lalu and not Laloo. "It's Lalu not Laloo and it's official (June 24, 2004)". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2006-05-08.
  2. The official birthdate of Lalu Prasad Yadav is June 11, 1947, but his actual birthdate is unknown. "B'day bash only when communal forces are wiped out: Laloo". Daily Excelsior. Retrieved 2006-05-08.
  3. Amita Malik. "Laloo in Wonderland". The Tribune. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
  4. "Laloo enters Limca Book of Records". The Tribune. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
  5. "World Bank Report : Bihar - Towards a Development Strategy". World Bank. Retrieved 2006-05-23.
  6. "More charges framed against Lalu Yadav". The Tribune. Retrieved 2006-05-08.
  7. "Profile: Laloo Prasad Yadav". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-05-08.
  8. "Lalu's 'kulhad', a flop in Bihar". The Times of India. May 1, 2005. Retrieved 2006-05-23.
  9. "Lalu spares passengers; freight untouched". The Hindu. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
  10. "Lalu refuses to be CEO, Railways India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
  11. "Laloo's night out at Patna station". Deccan Herald. June 15, 2004. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
  12. "[[BJP]] leaderes in freight scam". Rediff.com. Retrieved August 9,2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help); Unknown parameter |Date= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)
  13. "Rail Budget to aggravate politics within UPA". Outlook. February 26, 2004. Retrieved 2006-05-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. "A.H. Wheeler faces the axe of Lalu's reforms". domain-b.com. July 19, 2004. Retrieved 2006-05-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. "Laloo to Advani: Come clean on Jinnah murder". Press Trust of India. September 14, 2004. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
  16. "Laloo seeks CBI probe against NDA". expressindia.com. September 28, 2004. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
  17. ^ (one has to "select prior issue" from top-right of the webpage as August 14, 2005 to access this link) "Lalu ka polls prasad!". Mumbai Mirror. August 14, 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. "Indian Railways announces financial turnaround, new tracks". The News International, Pakistan. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
  19. "CEO Lalu set to enter IIM-A classroom". The Econmic Times. Retrieved 2006-05-23.
  20. "Lalu goes to Harvard". The Times of India/City Supplement. July 8 , 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. "Harvard wants my bio-data: Lalu". Rediff.com. September 13, 2004. Retrieved 2006-05-23.
  22. "Bihar on the edge". Frontline. October 20045. Retrieved 2006-05-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. "Lavish praise for Lalu". The Hindu. September 16, 2004. Retrieved 2006-05-23.
  24. "Half of Laloo's G-8 at Centre are tainted". The Pioneer. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
  25. "Lalu accused in six fodder scam cases". Outlook. April 25, 2005. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
  26. "Hall of Shame". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
  27. ^ "The ride to Ranchi". Frontline. December 2001. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
  28. "Fodder scam: SC notices to Lalu, Rabri". Rediff.com. October 01, 2004. Retrieved 2006-05-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ Siddharth Srivastava (September 29, 2004). "India's man for all seasons". Asia Times. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
  30. Amarnath Tiwary. "Laloo's Filmi Fans". Bihar Times (coutsey:Outlook). Retrieved 2006-08-10.

External links

Preceded byJagannath Mishra Chief Minister of Bihar
1990—1997 		Succeeded byRabri Devi
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