Today incarcerated in a series of allegedly corruption related cases, Lalu Prasad Yadav turns 75. Considered by many to be the living face of the ‘Samajik Nyay Andolan’, he is remembered by many movements for the pathbreaking changes his brand of politics brought to the most marginalised among the other backward castes (OBCs), minorities (Muslims, Christians).

Lalu’s historic rally at the Gandhi Maidan, Patna in October 1990 when he appealed to LK Advani to stop his blood-soaked rath yatra made him a permanent enemy of the RSS. Thereafter, his role as Union Railway Minister in daring to probe the 2002 Godhra violence (UC Banerjee Committee) he earned the permanent ire of this regime

Though not quite able to creatively resolve the tensions between the Yadavs and Dalits while in power in Bihar as its chief minister, Lalu’s most courageous moment has been recorded by documentary film maker Anand Patwardhan in his iconic film, Ram ke Naam.  The middle film of his three part trilogy on the politics of communalism (the first being In Memory of Friends and the third, Father, Son and Holy War), Patwardhan recalls his tryst with AB Bardhan (CPI) and Lalu Prasad Yadav at Patna’s historic Gandhi maidan where the two were directly addressing the corrosive politics that the Bharaitya Janata Party (BJP) has led the country too. In 2015, his crucial piece for Sabrangindia, A Hinduism that is the Mirror Opposite of Hindutva (that was later re-published by Scroll.in) Patwardhan writes,

“We had got on a wrong train and it was impossible to get out! It turned out to be a stroke of luck as the train took us to Patna, Bihar where the Left front along with Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav were holding a huge anti-Rath rally at the Gandhi Maidan. Bihar where the Left front along with Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav were holding a huge anti-Rath rally at the Gandhi Maidan.
A.B. Bardhan of the CPI made a brilliant appeal to preserve India’s syncretic culture and Lalu Prasad Yadav gave a stern warning telling Advani to turn back from the brink. A few days later he kept his promise. Advani was arrested and the Rath Yatra finally came to a halt in Bihar.  Not so the kar sevaks who used all modes of transport to continue to head towards Ayodhya.”

The historic event was recorded by Patwardhan and can be viewed here where a young a dapper Lalu is clear and unequivocal in his appeal:
 

Today, the politics of demolition, hate and destruction that the Ramjanmabhoomi movement that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 and violence before and after (where Muslims were the target) has clearly meant has been taken to even more visceral heights under the leadership of the present regime. Apart from living in fear, intimidation and threat, the Muslims of India remaine one of the most marginalised communities, socio-economically and politically.

President of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RJD), Lalu was Janata Dal first chief minister of Bihar from 1990-1997. RJD was formed when he split away in 1997 due to allegations in the fodder scam for which he is serving a hail term. Lalu Yadav has been in the state assembly and legislatve council of Bihar as also in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. In the 1998 general election for the 12^th Lok Sabha he won from Madhepura but lost in the 1999 general election to Sharad Yadav. In 2000 he won in the Bihar state election and remained in opposition. In 2002, Lalu was elected to the Rajya Sabha where he was until 2004. In 2002, the RJD formed the government in Bihar with Lalu’s wife, Rabri Devi as chief minister. Thereafter, except for a brief spell of President’s rule and a seven day term of Nitish Kumar, RJD remained in power in Bihar till 2005.

In May 2004, after winning from both Chhapra and Mahepura constituencies, he won with large margins from both. RJD with 21 seats became the second largest member of the UPA in 2004. Lalu’s role as union railway minister was truly his most glorious.

A people’s man, Lalu Yadav left passenger fares untouched and focused on other sources of revenue for the railways. He banned plastic cups from being used to serve tea at railway stations and replaced those with kulhars (earthen cups), in order to generate more employment in rural areas. After announcing in June 2004 that he would get on the railway himself to inspect its problems, he did so and went on to board the train from Patna Railway station at midnight.

In these times of utter economic collapse and hardship it was his transformation of the Indian railways from a loss-making enterprise to profit generating that is rarely remembered. When he took over, the Indian Railways was a loss-making organisation.^0] In the years under his leadership, it showed a cumulative total profit of ₹38,000 crore (US$5.0 billion). Business schools around the world became interested in Lalu Yadav’s leadership in managing the turnaround. The turnaround was introduced as a case study by the Indian Institute of Management. Yadav also received invitations from eight Ivy League schools for lectures, and addressed over a hundred students from Harvard, Wharton and others. Lalu would speak in his quintessential Hindi at these famed international institutes. Harvard Business School and HEC Management School, France, have shown interest in turning Lalu Yadav’s experiment with the Indian Railway into case studies for aspiring business graduates.

For this and other depressed communities, the politics represented by Kanshiram and Lalu Yadav who, along with Mulayam Singh Yadav, were torch bearers of the Indian social justice movement is an important point of recall. Despite the erosion of these values within the legatees of this movement and the parties, the fact is that the social justice movement had the capacity to address the problems of the communities to whom they were addressing. Lalu Yadav has had to pay a personal price for rising to the challenge to ensure that the ‘Samajik Nyay Andolan’ reaches the most number of people.

When in 2004, under the first government of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) he constituted the Justice UC Banerjee Committee to especially probe the burning down of Coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, he made permanent enemies. These are today in the highest echelons of power. Which is why Lalu Yadav celebrates his 75^th birthday in jail.

Related:

A Hinduism that is the mirror opposite of Hindutva

Don’t blame Rabri, Laloo

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Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President, Lalu Prasad Yadav has been granted bail in the Dumka treasury case where he was convicted for withdrawing Rs. 3.13 crore from the treasury in Dumka city in Jharkhand, formerly in Bihar. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal with Advocate Adit S Pujari represented Yadav.

As per an IE report, the High Court had rejected Lalu’s bail plea in the Dumka treasury case in February this year and had said that he has to serve two more months in jail to complete half of the tenure of his total sentence. After reapplying for bail, he was granted relief today.

Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh of the Jharkhand High Court directed him to neither leave the country without permission nor change his address and mobile number during the bail period, according to a LiveLaw report.

Central Bureau of Investigation’s counsel and assistant solicitor general Rajiv Sinha told The HT, “The bench of justice Aparesh Kumar Singh granted bail to Prasad on the condition that he would furnish two sureties of Rs.1 lakh each and Rs.10 lakh fine amount before the court below.”

As per media reports, Yadav had already secured bail in the Chaibasa Treasury Scam case and the Deogarh Treasury Scam case last year. The Chaibasa treasury scam case involved fraudulent withdrawals amounting to Rs 33.67 crore from the Chaibasa treasury, whereas the Deogarh scam involved embezzlement of Rs. 84.5 lakh in the 1990’s.

Yadav has been serving his sentence since December 2017 and was airlifted to AIIMS in the National Capital in January this year, after his health condition deteriorated while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Ranchi.

The veteran politician, as per a Bar and Bench report, was sentenced to a total imprisonment of fourteen years after being convicted in the fodder scam for offences of conspiracy, cheating, forgery, falsification of accounts under the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

He was convicted in cases pertaining to the fodder scam- two related to the Chaibasa Treasury, one related to the Deogarh Treasury and another related to the Dumka Treasury. The trial in the Doranda Treasury case is still ongoing.

Related:

Fodder scam: Lalu Prasad Yadav gets bail in Chaibasa Treasury case
Bihar elections: No ticket for ‘dabang’ Ex-DGP ‘Robinhood’ Pandeyji

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Bihar Assembly polls are a few weeks away and as the political scene heats up the news of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav getting bail in a fodder scam will add another layer to the emerging political scenario. Yadav, was granted bail by Jharkhand High Court in a case related to a fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 35.62 crore from Chaibasa Treasury in the early 1990s. 

राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष आदरणीय लालू प्रसाद जी को आधी सजा अवधि पूर्ण होने पर चौथे केस में जमानत मिल गयी है। अभी एक केस बाक़ी है जिसकी आधी सजा अवधि 9 नवंबर को पूर्ण होने पर वो बाहर आ सकेंगे। अनेक बीमारियों और उम्र के बावजूद भी नीतीश-बीजेपी ने तिकड़म कर उन्हें बाहर नहीं आने दिया।

— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) October 9, 2020

However, according to news reports, the RJD chief will not walk free yet, as he is serving time in another case related to Dumka treasury.  He had been granted bail in Deoghar treasury case earlier. The bail granted today to the former Bihar chief minister is in the fodder scam case related to Chaibasa treasury, reported the Express News Service, and other media. This case involves “fraudulent withdrawals amounting to Rs 33.67 crore from the Chaibasa treasury in undivided Bihar,” when Prasad was CM.  

The bail was granted by Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh on the grounds that the vertan politician had already “undergone half of the sentencing”. According to the bail order, Lalu Prasad will have to furnish two bail bonds of Rs 50,000 each and deposit security of Rs 50,000 in the court. News reports add that Prasad will also have to deposit  the penalty of Rs 2 lakh which was awarded by a special CBI court to secure his bail. A CBI Court in Ranchi had sentenced Lalu Prasad Yadav to a five-year imprisonment in January 2018.

The court has also asked for Prasad’s medical reports and “the details of all those he has met during the course of his treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi,” stated Express. He is currently at the Director’s Bungalow located in the premises of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) of Ranchi, the Express reported that this has been done, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report quoted Yadav’s advocate Prabhat Kumar confirming that the RJD chief will remain in jail as his bail application is pending in another fodder scam case related to Dumka Treasury RC38/96. “Since half of the jail term was completed in RC68/96A; we had filed a petition in Jharkhand High Court seeking suspension of the sentencing, which was finally allowed by the honourable court on Friday,” he is quoted by ENS.

The news report added that after he was convicted by a Special CBI Court in Ranchi on December 23, 2017, in the second fodder scam case involving the illegal withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury, 72-year-old Lalu Prasad Yadav lodged in Birsa Munda Central jail at Ranchi, but was shifted to RIMS in view of  his deteriorating health. He is known to be suffering from heart and kidney ailments. 

Lalu Prasad Yadav, one of the best known political figures in Bihar has been convicted in four out of the five cases related to multi-crore fodder scam cases related to Chaibasa Treasury (RC20A/96) on September 30, 2013, another Chaibasa Treasury (RC68A/96) on January 24, 2018, Deoghar Treasury (RC 64A/96) on February 23, 2018 and Dumka Treasury (RC38A/96) on February 19. RC 47A/96, related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 139.35 crore from Doranda treasury in Ranchi, is still pending in a Special CBI Court in Ranchi, reported ENS.

Bihar goes to polls to elect the next  243-member Assembly soon. Votes will be cast in three phases, on October 28, November 3 and November 7, 2020. Votes will be counted on Nov 10. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora announced on September 25, 2020, and the Model Code of Conduct has been in place since then.

Related:

Bihar elections: No ticket for ‘dabang’ Ex-DGP ‘Robinhood’ Pandeyji

Dalit Bahujan alliance takes shape ahead of Bihar elections

Bihar Assembly election dates announced

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The cover page of both Hindi and English version of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s autobiography, Gopalganj to Raisina, co-authored by Nalin Verma

Kolkata: The autobiography of former Chief Minister of Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav—Gopalganj to Raisina which can stir a storm in the Indian politics is all set to get public. By Sunday the book will be available across India, however, there will be no formal launch for it.

Senior journalist Nalin Verma has co-authored the book with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) National President, who is now in jail in connection with fodder scam.

Lalu Prasad Yadav, the 70-year-old politician is one of the most colourful personalities in Indian politics.

Lalu Prasad is among the few politicians, who has been a member of all four houses of Indian political system—Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Assembly and Vidhan Parishad. He was the Chief Minister of Bihar, one of the most significant states of India, politically, for almost 10 years, and the Railway Minister of India.

The book, a political potboiler will reveal, Lalu Prasad’s role during the Emergency, Mandal Commission implementation, the arrest of LK Advani during the Rath Yatra, his acceptance of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister in 2004 and his relationship with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar – a friend turned foe.

According to the book, Lalu Prasad has mentioned in it that Nitish Kumar had sent Prashant Kishor, a political strategist and Janata Dal (United)’s Vice President to meet him, five times, as Nitish wants to return back to the Mahagathbandhan. But RJD supremo refused it saying, he has lost faith on Nitish.

There are many such untold incidents related to Lalu in his autobiography. The timing for the book release (amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Election) is also significant. Interestingly, a biopic on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be released around this time.

The two sentences mentioned in the press communiqué released by the publisher Rupa Publications summarize the entire book.

“He is brutally honest about what he has won and what he has lost, about friends and foes within his party as well as outside.”

And, “This is more than just an utterly absorbing account; it is history with a vision. It reaffirms your faith in the promise of democracy, equality and justice in India.”

Courtesy: enewsroom.in

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मोदी ने कहा कि ये लोग मेरा ज्यादा से ज्यादा क्या कर लेंगे क्या कर लेंगे, मै तो फ़कीर हूँ झोला लेकर कहीं भी चल पडूंगा। ये फकीरी है जिसने मुझे गरीबो के लिए लड़ने की ताकत दी है। प्रधानमत्री के इस बयान को लेकर सोशल मीडिया पर काफी आलोचना हो रही है। लोग अलग अलग तरह की तस्वीरें और बैठकों को कैप्शन के साथ शेयर कर रहे हैं।
 
कुछ लोग सीधे सीधे तो कुछ तंज और कहानियों के माध्यम से प्रधानमंत्री मोदी के इस बयान को गलत बता रहे हैं। 
 
पढ़िए सोशल मीडिया पर लोग प्रधानमंत्री के इस बयान पर कैसी प्रतिक्रिया दे रहे हैं- 
 
आशुतोष उज्जवल 
एक लड़का अपनी नौकरी से खुश नहीं था. छोटा ओहदा, कम पैसा और ज्यादा काम. लेकिन उसके शौक हाई फाई थे. ट्रैवेल और कपड़ों से इश्क था उसको. ऑनलाइन का जमाना नहीं आया था. उसने नई जॉब के लिए अप्लाई किया. इंटरव्यू के लिए बुला लिया गया.
 
वो ' 10 things you should not do in interview' वाले तमाम आर्टिकल पढ़कर गया था. जाते ही झंडे गाड़ दिए. दोनों हाथ नचा नचा कर इंटरव्यू दिया. इंटरव्यू लेने वाले ने पूछा 'किस पोस्ट के लिए आए हो भई? वो कहिस कि 'क्वालिटी ते हमए अंदर यहां का CEO बनने की है. लेकिन फिलहाल चौकीदार बनने आया हूं.'

अगला उसकी बतकही से इतना इंप्रेस हो गया कि मैनेजर ही बना डाला. जॉइनिंग के पहले दिन उसे किसी ने बुलाया 'मैनेजर साब.' वो कहिस 'डोंट कॉल मी मैनेजर. मैं तो प्रधान सेवक हूं.'
 
खैर बात आई गई हो गई. लेकिन सारा दफ्तर उनके नखरों से आजिज आ गया था. सबके कोई न कोई बत्ती दिए रहता था. कभी किसी की बाइक की हवा निकाल देता. जब खुद की हवा टाइट की जाती तो कहता 'मैं दलित मां का बेटा हूं इसलिए तुम लोग मेरे साथ ये कर रहे हो.' सेफ गेम खेलने में तो वो कुतुबुद्दीन ऐबक था.

काम में टाल मटोल करने की ऐसी बुरी आदत थी कि उससे बातों में कोई जा नहीं सकता था. एक दिन मालिक ने उससे हिसाब मंगाया. तो कहिस कि कहां हिसाब पेसाब के चक्कर में पड़े हो. अपना व्हाट्सऐप खोलो. पूरा वीडियो भेज देता हूं देख लो.
 
मालिक बोला 'अबे तुम मैनेजर हो कि चार सौ बीस? यहां किसलिए रखा है तुमको?'

फिर वो जो बोला है न, अगर व्हाट्सऐप की भाषा में कहें तो मालिक अभी कोमा में है. बोला 'मैं तो फकीर आदमी हूं. कहां इन सब चक्करों में फंसा रहे हो?'

सुभाष विक्रम
पता नही क्यों सारे फकीरों की दाढ़ियां पकी हुई ही होती हैं 
 
वसीम अकरम त्यागी 
कल साहेब ने उत्तर प्रदेश के मुरादाबाद में खुद को फकीर बताया है, जरा इस माडर्न फकीर के लिबास तो देखिये। काश की पूरा देश साहेब जैसा ही फकीर हो जाये। इस स्टेट्स के साथ वसीम ने अलग अलग समय पर प्रधानमंत्री द्वारा पहने गए सूट को निशाना बनाया है। 
 
'फ़क़ीर साहेब' मस्त और जनता त्रस्त: ……. रतन लाल
साथियों, दिल्ली यूनिवर्सिटी द्वारा जारी किया गया ताज़ा पत्र, गौर से पढ़ लीजिए। कर्मचारियों की नियुक्ति बंद कर दी गई है और आदेश जारी किया गया है कि ग्रुप B नॉन गजटेड नियुक्ति भी बंद। सनद रहे, शिक्षक का पद भी नॉन गजटेड है। अर्थात तार्किक परिणति शिक्षकों की नियुक्ति भी बंद, सिर्फ समय का इंतज़ार कीजिए। कब तक शांत रहेंगे? कौन कौन से साहब को और कब तक खुश रखने का भगीरथ प्रयास करते रहेंगे? लगता है एक लंबी और प्रभावी संघर्ष का वक्त का चुका है।

Courtesy: National Dastak
 

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