Lost in dilemma Lalu admits mistakes but quite a few
VIJAY DEO JHA
RANCHI
Three chairs placed in a row on the verandah of the Railway’s Official Rest House, the middle being occupied by sahib with stretched legs and leaders of lesser entity battling to occupy chairs on the flank; pretending an ear-to-ear talk with sahib to flaunt closeness. That’s poignant and painful paradox of being RJD chief Lalu Prasad who once never allowed anybody, except a few, to sit along with him when he had ruled Bihar like his kingdom.
He would have snubbed them even today, but then he is passing through the darkest hours of his political life. Two successive electoral drubbings in Bihar at the hand of JD (U)’s Nitish Kumar, the latter more ruthless and his anxious followers are worried that the next jolt might well deliver the party from escalating coma to burial if steps are not taken to reestablish party’s base. He is the only RJD asset and party’s biggest drawback too.
Not long back, Lalu Prasad’s visit in Jharkhand used to summon flood of party workers; but the crowd that turned during his three-day stay in Ranchi seemed to be questioning his charisma. Barely a handful attended him, as he was in the city in connection with the hearing of the fodder case by the CBI court where he stands as an accused. Though Lalu admits having made mistakes with an exclusive interview with The Pioneer correspondent Vijay Deo Jha, but remained silent on his piles of post electoral mistakes for having left his party in a directionless drift in Bihar and elsewhere. “Bahut mistake kiya hai. Mistake kiya tabhi na Nitish jeeta,” (I have made a lot of mistakes. Nitish Kumar won just because of my mistakes), Lalu admits.
Q After defeat in the last assembly election you left Patna. Your party had requested to spend more time in Patna to keep lantern flame alive. You rather delegated the job to Ram Chandra Purvey. The RJD is not responding as a credible Opposition. You even did not turn-up on the foundation ceremony of your party last year.
A True, I have not visited much parts of Bihar after the election. I will start visiting very soon. I had announced six month moratorium on agitational activity to give fair time to Nitish to fulfill the promises he made with the public after electoral mandate against my party. Now see, corruption cases have started surfacing. Scam reported in enrolment in the school. We will reply the government. Purvey is a veteran leader, I have faith on him.
Q But period of moratorium have extended beyond year and your party workers are getting restive. Your LJP partner Ram Vilas Paswan is much more active in comparison.
A I am introspecting what went wrong with the party and why voters became annoyed with us. We will make a come back.
Q What have been the mistakes?
A Ka sab ginayeji mistake to hua hai bahut mistake kiya. Congress se sambandh todna sab se bada mistake tha, how many mistakes should I list? Severing tie with the Congress was my biggest political mistake. Both RJD and the Congress have same electoral base. But we got divided that helped Nitish to win. I accept that some of my policies were wrong.
Q Are you getting jealous over Nitish’s popularity index? Even he has made a dent in your vote banks. Has not he shifted goal-posts of electoral politics from vote banks to governance issues?
A Nitish is a pretender. What kind of popularity are you talking about, which has been generated by the media? He funds the media in crores to manage it. Media does not publish any news that goes against him. He is despot who has mastered the art of fabrication. He is fooling people through Seva Yatra. Nitish is the product of socialist movement. But he sat in the lap of communal party, BJP. When the history of Bihar will be written Nitish will named as an opportunist.
Q But within your party you have been facing criticism for your style of functioning and serial lapses of the party. Leaders like Nawal Kishore Rai and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh openly questioned you.
A. Ours is a democratic party and everybody has the right to raise their voice. What’s wrong in it?
Q. Then why Rai was show-caused who opposed your decision to christen RJD’s headquarters at Rouse Avenue in Delhi as “Rabri Bhawan” on the name of your wife?
A. If it does not happen then how you people will get the news.
Q Have you finally asked your wife to take charge of kitchen? She is reported to be quite unwilling to be in the politics.
A Kitchen is a vital part of the domestic life of a house wife. But who says that she is out of politics. She was Chief Minister of Bihar and like me she is addicted to politics.
Lalu Prasad and Vijay Deo Jha picture by Ratan Lal
VIJAY DEO JHA
RANCHI
Three chairs placed in a row on the verandah of the Railway’s Official Rest House, the middle being occupied by sahib with stretched legs and leaders of lesser entity battling to occupy chairs on the flank; pretending an ear-to-ear talk with sahib to flaunt closeness. That’s poignant and painful paradox of being RJD chief Lalu Prasad who once never allowed anybody, except a few, to sit along with him when he had ruled Bihar like his kingdom.
He would have snubbed them even today, but then he is passing through the darkest hours of his political life. Two successive electoral drubbings in Bihar at the hand of JD (U)’s Nitish Kumar, the latter more ruthless and his anxious followers are worried that the next jolt might well deliver the party from escalating coma to burial if steps are not taken to reestablish party’s base. He is the only RJD asset and party’s biggest drawback too.
Not long back, Lalu Prasad’s visit in Jharkhand used to summon flood of party workers; but the crowd that turned during his three-day stay in Ranchi seemed to be questioning his charisma. Barely a handful attended him, as he was in the city in connection with the hearing of the fodder case by the CBI court where he stands as an accused. Though Lalu admits having made mistakes with an exclusive interview with The Pioneer correspondent Vijay Deo Jha, but remained silent on his piles of post electoral mistakes for having left his party in a directionless drift in Bihar and elsewhere. “Bahut mistake kiya hai. Mistake kiya tabhi na Nitish jeeta,” (I have made a lot of mistakes. Nitish Kumar won just because of my mistakes), Lalu admits.
Q After defeat in the last assembly election you left Patna. Your party had requested to spend more time in Patna to keep lantern flame alive. You rather delegated the job to Ram Chandra Purvey. The RJD is not responding as a credible Opposition. You even did not turn-up on the foundation ceremony of your party last year.
A True, I have not visited much parts of Bihar after the election. I will start visiting very soon. I had announced six month moratorium on agitational activity to give fair time to Nitish to fulfill the promises he made with the public after electoral mandate against my party. Now see, corruption cases have started surfacing. Scam reported in enrolment in the school. We will reply the government. Purvey is a veteran leader, I have faith on him.
Q But period of moratorium have extended beyond year and your party workers are getting restive. Your LJP partner Ram Vilas Paswan is much more active in comparison.
A I am introspecting what went wrong with the party and why voters became annoyed with us. We will make a come back.
Q What have been the mistakes?
A Ka sab ginayeji mistake to hua hai bahut mistake kiya. Congress se sambandh todna sab se bada mistake tha, how many mistakes should I list? Severing tie with the Congress was my biggest political mistake. Both RJD and the Congress have same electoral base. But we got divided that helped Nitish to win. I accept that some of my policies were wrong.
Q Are you getting jealous over Nitish’s popularity index? Even he has made a dent in your vote banks. Has not he shifted goal-posts of electoral politics from vote banks to governance issues?
A Nitish is a pretender. What kind of popularity are you talking about, which has been generated by the media? He funds the media in crores to manage it. Media does not publish any news that goes against him. He is despot who has mastered the art of fabrication. He is fooling people through Seva Yatra. Nitish is the product of socialist movement. But he sat in the lap of communal party, BJP. When the history of Bihar will be written Nitish will named as an opportunist.
Q But within your party you have been facing criticism for your style of functioning and serial lapses of the party. Leaders like Nawal Kishore Rai and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh openly questioned you.
A. Ours is a democratic party and everybody has the right to raise their voice. What’s wrong in it?
Q. Then why Rai was show-caused who opposed your decision to christen RJD’s headquarters at Rouse Avenue in Delhi as “Rabri Bhawan” on the name of your wife?
A. If it does not happen then how you people will get the news.
Q Have you finally asked your wife to take charge of kitchen? She is reported to be quite unwilling to be in the politics.
A Kitchen is a vital part of the domestic life of a house wife. But who says that she is out of politics. She was Chief Minister of Bihar and like me she is addicted to politics.
