WikiPortallus: Lalu Prasad Yadav.html

Yadav involvement in politics started during his student days at the Patna University and he was subsequently elected the member of the Lok Sabha in 1977, at the age of 29, becoming one of its youngest members.⁴

Yadav served as the Chief Minister of Bihar from 1990 till 1997, when he was forced to resign following escalating corruption charges in the Fodder scam.

Early life

Lalu Prasad Yadav was born in Phulwaria in Gopalganj district of Bihar on June 11, 1948, to Kundan Rai and Marachhiya Devi, a poor peasant family.⁴

Yadav married Rabri Devi on June 1, 1973. ⁴ They have two sons and seven daughters. According to him, his large family is a protest against the forced vasectomy and castration under the infamous family planning initiative during the Indian Emergency (1975 - 77) declared by Indira Gandhi.⁸ Indira's son, Sanjay Gandhi, was blamed for this abusive and forcible treatment of people. The eldest daughter is Misa Bharati, named after the Maintenance of Internal Security Act, the law which provided the police with an independent authority to arrest and detain persons without the permission of a court.⁸

Political career

Yadav's first political step was his active involvement in the elections of the Patna University Students' union. He led the student movement inspired by Jai Prakash Narayan in the 1970s. The former Chief Minister of Bihar and the then President of Bihar State Janata Party, seniorleader Satyendra Narayan Sinha placed him as a candidate for the Lok Sabha and campaigned for him. ⁹¹⁰¹¹ He was subsequently elected as a member of 6th Lok Sabha on a Janata Party ticket at the age 29, becoming one of the youngest members of the Indian Parliament then.

In a span of 10 years, Yadav became a formidable force in Bihar State Politics. During the Indian general elections in 1989 and state assembly elections, he successfully led the National Front coalition in Bihar. It was, therefore, no surprise that he was elected the Chief Minister leaving behind Ram Sundar Das, a former chief minister from the same party, when it came to power in the 1990 Assembly elections. The World Bank lauded his party for its work in the 1990s on the economic front. ¹²

A report was published by the BBC news in 1996 according to which the police unearthed a Rs 950 crore (US$ 267 Million) Fodder Scam in Bihar (dating back to the previous Congress Government), which allegedly involved Yadav and the State's leading bureaucrats and politicians, albeit the probe itself was ordered by him. Some people claim it to be an opposition's conspiracy to stop his unprecedented political growth. ¹³ The fodder scam forced Yadav to resign from the office of Chief Minister and he brought his wife, Rabri Devi, as his successor.¹⁴

Yadav remained in power in Bihar for more then one and a half decade during Mandal era. In 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). Nitish Kumar led coalition, consisting of JD(U) and BJP, came to power with a manifesto of development in an era which is termed as post-Mandal period.¹⁶

Tenure as an Union Minister

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

During his initial year as a railways minister, Yadav banned plastic cups to serve tea at railway stations and ordered that they be replaced by kulhads (earthen cups). He claimed that the measure would generate more employment in rural areas.¹⁷ Later, he also said that he had plans to introduce buttermilk¹⁸ and khadi¹⁹. In June 2004, he announced that he would get on the railway himself to inspect its problems and went on to board the Patna railway station at midnight. ²⁰

When Yadav took over, the Indian Railways was a loss-making organization. In the 4 years under his leadership, a cumulative total profit of Rs. 70, 000 crore (US$ 17.5 billion dollars) has been reported. Ironically, under the previous government, the Rakesh Mohan Committee (headed by Rakesh Mohan, secretary, department of economic affairs) had termed The Railways a 'white elephant' and predicted that it would suffer a Rs 61,000 crore (US$15.4 billion dollars) loss possibly ending in bankruptcy by 2015. ²¹ The only solution seemed to be privatization.

Yadav is now credited with engineering the financial turnaround of Indian Railways, that was on the verge of bankruptcy before his appointment to the office. He left passenger fares untouched and found several other profitable sources of revenue for the Railways. He also improved on his first year's performance by stating a profit of 14,000 crores with decreased freight and unchanged passenger fares in 2006. Then, in the 2007 budget, he increased the profit level to 20,000 crores with the introduction of cushion seats in all unreserved compartments.In 2008, profits were 25000 crore (equals $ 6.25 billion @ $1~Rs.40)

Speech of Shri Lalu Prasad, introducing the Railway Budget 2008-2009, on 26th February 2008

Well known schools of management were interested in Yadav's leadership in managing the turnaround (with more or less the same IAS officers & the same workforce who worked under the previous ministers). He addressed over a hundred students from Harvard, Wharton and others in Hindi. He has received invitations from 8 Ivy League schools for lectures. ²⁴ The turnaround of the Indian Railways is now being studied by the students of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.²⁵ Prof G. Raghuram, a faculty member, IIM-A, has already conducted a detailed study on the Railways turnaround.²⁶

In August 2008, CNN-IBN alleged that Yadav had misused his position as the Union Railway Minister to help his relatives acquire land. ²⁷

Lalu in popular culture

Many books have been written in praise of Yadav by local writers including Lalu Chalisa and Lalu Hala. Entertainers, in television and film industry, mimic Yadav for their profession. According to a media report, many local barbers and saloons are earning money by offering what they call the Lalu style hair cut. A barber of Hajipur was quoted saying, "The style is a craze among the youths and even policemen". ²⁸ Yadav has been recognised as a brand on his own amongst a few industries in rural Bihar. ²⁹

A Patna-based company had launched "Lalu Khaini" (tobacco) in 2004, which was a hit. In 2005, Speedage Corp. introduced "Laluji" dolls that became popular with kids. In 2006, Lalu ka Khzana, a chocolate produced by New Delhi-based Chetak company, became very popular with kids in rural areas of north Bihar districts like Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi and Madhubani. The wrapper of the chocolate packet depicted two different caricatures of Lalu — one as a politician and the other as a magician. More than 100,000 packets were reportedly sold.³⁰

A cheap cosmetic pack branded as Lalu Chale Sasural ("Lalu goes to in-laws house") had become extremely popular among rural Bihari girls, especially in the areas such as Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Samastipur. Each packet, priced at Rs. 23 (rouglhy half a dollar), contains items of daily use like face powder, cream, earrings, sticker, and a necklace.³¹

In June 2006, Prakash Agro Industries in Bihar started selling cattle fodder under the brand name Lalu Pashu Aahar. It was 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 fodder³²

Yadav has a sizable fan following in Bollywood, which includes actors Sunil Shetty and Raza Murad and directors Mahesh Manjrekar and Mahesh Bhatt to name a few. Indian actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha, who is a political opponent of Yadav, once said, " Had Yadav not been a politician he could have been an actor". ³³ Mahesh Bhatt has gone to the extent of saying that Yadav deserves to become Prime Minister of India.³⁴ A Bollywood movie titled Padamshree Laloo Prasad Yadav was released in 2004. Though his name appeared in the title, the movie was not about him, but had characters named Padmashreee, Laloo, Prasad and Yadav.

These incidences as viewed by some people as an attempt by the mainstream media to make deliberate fun of Yadav's Bihari accent.

Criticisms and controversies

Yadav's party is alleged to have continued in power for several years on the strength of the Muslim-Yadav combination vote bank. ³⁵³⁶ and is considered extremely popular among members of both communities.³⁷ His brand of politics has caused a great deal of resentment among other caste groups such as Bhumihar Brahmins, Rajputs, other Brahmin sub-castes and Kayasthas (who Yadav has collectively dubbed Bhurabal meaning brown hair). While Yadav has been criticised for aggravating caste divisions through his policies, his admirers claim that he helps disadvantaged groups out of a belief in secularism and social justice. Yadav's claim is reflected from his famous quote,

Some MPs belonging to Yadav's party (RJD) have criminal charges against them. ³⁸ The most notorious, of these, is the Siwan MP Mohammed Shahabuddin. Many of Yadav'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 allegations

Yadav has been charged with corruption cases ⁴⁰, the most infamous being the "Fodder scam". In the Fodder Scam, the funds meant for cattle fodder were diverted from the animal husbandry department. Yadav was one of the main accused in multi-million rupee scam.⁴¹ After corruption charges compelled Yadav to step down as chief minister of Bihar in 1997, he brought his wife Rabri Devi to the chief minister's post. ⁴² From 1997 to 2001, Lalu was sent to jail five times.⁴³ Yadav was first sent to "Judicial remand" (Bihar Military Police guest house, Patna) on July 30, 1997 for 134 days. ⁴³ On October 28, 1998, he was sent again 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 later 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. ⁴³ Due to proceedings in the fodder scam, Yadav was remanded for a day in Beur jail on November 28, 2000.

On November 26, 2001, Yadav was again remanded, in a case related to the Fodder scam.⁴⁴ He accused NDA of creating a conspiracy against him. On October 1, 2004 the Supreme Court of India served a notice to Yadav and his wife, Rabri Devi, on fodder scam. This was in response to a petition, which alleged that they have been interfering with the investigation.⁴⁵

Yadav and his wife, Rabri Devi have been acquitted in disproportionate assets as per judgment delivered on 18 December 2006.[3]

In August 2008, CNN-IBN alleged that Yadav had misused his position as the Union Railway Minister to help his relatives acquire land. A year-long investigation by IBN7 shows that Lalu bought land, worth several lakh rupees for his relatives, from those who aspired for a job in the Railways.²⁷

Innovation

The charwaha vidyalaya scheme was launched by Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav in December, 1991, with much fanfare. The project was even appreciated by UNICEF and was quickly adopted by Central schemes like TRYSEM, Indira Awas Yojana, IRDP-RLGEP and ICDS. It aimed to impart basic education to children of poor peasants who supplemented their parents' meagre income by cattle-herding, "Earn while you learn" was the attraction. The concept envisaged that children bring their herd and learn while the animals grazed in the fields attach-ed to the schools.

Accusations against the BJP

On September 28, 2004,Lalu alleged Mr. Venkaiah Naidu,the then Union Rural Minister, of having sold 55,000 tonnes of wheat in the name of drought relief distribution in AP. "A CBI probe will be initiated to find the truth" he said.⁴⁷

Perceived institutional bias against Lalu

Supporters of Lalu Yadav have claimed of Lalu being subject of institutional bias against him, which can be divided into: Media bias and other institutional biases.

Although he has maintained a good relationship with the media, at times he has accused the media of being unfair, and has even gone so far as to threaten to sue certain media outlets for defamation.⁴⁸ AlthoughThe Media bias against him has been recognised by certain sections of press,⁴⁹ the media counters this claim that it has simply been highlighting corruption cases against Lalu as a part of its function as a free press.

Lalu and his supporters have also claimed that some other institutions like the Election Commission of India have shown a bias against him on many occasions, the most recent being the last Bihar State Assembly Election,⁵⁰ whereas the Election Commission claims that it always has simply been doing its duty to prevent frauds and unethical behavior committed by Lalu and his supporters during Bihar state/general elections.

Supporter of SIMI

Positions held

References and footnotes

^ While the Indian media was unsure as to the spelling of Mr. Yadav's name, in June 2004, he issued a clarification to the media to endure that his name was spelt as Lalu and not Laloo."It's Lalu not Laloo and it's official (June 24, 2004)". Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2006-05-08.
^ "B’day bash only when communal forces are wiped out: Laloo". Daily Excelsior. Retrieved on 2006-05-08.
^ [1]
^ ^a ^b ^c Lalu Prasad Yadav
^ Amita Malik. "Laloo in Wonderland". The Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
^ ^a ^b Amberish K Diwanji. "Laloo in a rascal, but I will vote for him". Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
^ [news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/701186.stm Laloo Prasad taken into custody], BBC News, 5 April, 2000
^ ^a ^b Siddharth Srivastava (September 29, 2004). "India's man for all seasons". Asia Times. Retrieved on 2006-05-29.
^ "Lok Sabha Debates". Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
^ "Bihar chief ministership battle 1977". Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
^ A J Philip. "Satyendra Narayan Sinha". The Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-09-05.
^ "World Bank Report: Bihar - Towards a Development Strategy". World Bank. Retrieved on 2006-05-23.
^ "More charges framed against Lalu Yadav". The Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-05-08.
^ "Profile: Laloo Prasad Yadav". BBC News. Retrieved on 2006-05-08.
^ "Laloo enters Limca Book of Records". The Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
^ Thurkral GobindFloods, drought ‘no one cares’"One good thing about the campaign is that everyone is talking about development. The fact remains that people’s hunger for development has pushed other issues like caste and communal divisions into the background. Mr Nitish Kumar claims that he not only got the super thermal plant sanctioned, but also three overbridges and 65km-rail track. Sadly the government did not last long to see that these were implemented, he says."
^ "Lalu's 'kulhad', a flop in Bihar", The Times of India (May 1, 2005). Retrieved on 23 May 2006.
^ "Lalu spares passengers; freight untouched". The Hindu. Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
^ "Lalu refuses to be CEO, Railways India". The Times of India. Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
^ "Laloo's night out at Patna station". Deccan Herald (June 15, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
^ "Lalu to teach management at IIM-A". Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.
^ Railways budget speech 2008
^ "Lalu Prasad Yadav's Budget Speech-2006-07". indianlaw.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
^ The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News
^ "CEO Lalu set to enter IIM-A classroom", The Economic Times. Retrieved on 23 May 2006.
^ "IIM-A awaits Lalu's Rly turnaround story", The Business Line. Retrieved on 7 September 2006.
^ ^a ^b Investigation unearths Lalu's land-for-job scam
^ "Brand Lalu ruling Bihar markets". Zeenews.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
^ "The ‘LALU’ Brand in Rural Bihar". Business insights International. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
^ "Lalu choc-a-bloc". The Tribune, Chandigarh (June 18, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-24.
^ "'Brand Lalu' sells like hot cake". The Times of India (June 20, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-24.
^ "The 'LALU' Brand in Rural Bihar". Retrieved on 2006-09-24.
^ Amarnath Tiwary. "Laloo's Filmi Fans". Bihar Times (coutsey:Outlook). Retrieved on 2006-08-10.
^ [2]
^ "Bihar on the edge". Frontline (October 20045). Retrieved on 2006-05-29.
^ "The clash of the Yadavs". Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
^ "Lavish praise for Lalu". The Hindu (September 16, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-05-23.
^ "Half of Laloo's G-8 at Centre are tainted". The Pioneer. Retrieved on 2006-05-29.
^ Lalu Yadav, the management guru!
^ [news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/701186.stm Laloo Prasad taken into custody], BBC News, 5 April, 2000
^ "Lalu accused in six fodder scam cases". Outlook (April 25, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-05-29.
^ "Hall of Shame". Hindustan Times. Retrieved on 2006-05-29.
^ ^a ^b ^c "The ride to Ranchi". Frontline (December 2001). Retrieved on 2006-05-29.
^ Ahmed Soroor Laloo Prasad Yadav surrenders before CBI special court, November 26, 2001
^ "Fodder scam: SC notices to Lalu, Rabri". Rediff.com (October 1, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-05-29.
^ "Laloo to Advani: Come clean on Jinnah murder", Press Trust of India (September 14, 2004). Retrieved on 9 August 2006.
^ "Laloo seeks CBI probe against NDA", expressindia.com (September 28, 2004). Retrieved on 9 August 2006.
^ Virendra Kapoor. "Lalu ko gussa kyun ata hai". Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-28.
^ Chandrabhan Prasad. "Is this the Empire's revenge?". The Pioneer. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
^ Harish Khare. "Election Commission must be a fair umpire". The Hindu. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
^ Lalu, Paswan views on SIMI criticised by BJP

Lalu Prasad Yadav.html

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