Lalu celebrates, but RJD is bitter
DNA India, Tuesday, June 12, 2007 14:34 IST

NEW DELHI: Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has celebrated
his 60th birthday in great style, with Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and VVIPs in attendance, but his
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is not happy.

Lalu Prasad's high-profile birthday Monday coincided
with the conclusion of a two-day meeting of RJD's
National Executive. It is the first time it was held
in the Indian capital and not in Patna, the party's
main stronghold.

Away from the 'qawwali', folk dances and 'kavi
sammelans' at Lalu Prasad's 25 Tughlak Road residence,
however, there was not much to cheer as RJD leaders -
who come mainly from rural areas and small towns -
voiced their anger against economic reforms.
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At least one RJD veteran, union Minister of State for
Human Resources Development M.A.A. Fatmi, even
publicly questioned the wisdom of shifting RJD's
"political base" to Delhi.

Speaking on the party's political resolution Sunday,
Fatmi thundered that RJD would not shine in Delhi "if
there is no light in our home". It was an obvious
reference to Bihar.

Another RJD leader, who did not want to be identified
by name, added: "Our strength lies in Patna. Without
that, we have no strength in Delhi. If we have any
(national) ambition as a party, we have to first
strengthen ourselves in Bihar."

RJD parliamentary party deputy leader Devendra Prasad
Yadav criticised the party's approach of endorsing
"anything and everything being pushed" by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh on the economic front.
He got a political resolution passed that was directly
critical of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy of
the government.

The resolution demanded a categorical commitment from
the government that the authorities would not acquire
any fertile cultivable land.

Interestingly, it is RJD leader and Rural Development
Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh who has played a key
role in formulating the SEZ policy.

Devendra Yadav also sought major steps to protect the
minorities, a stand enthusiastically supported by
Bihar RJD chief Abdul Bari Siddiqui.

Both leaders were worked up about fake encounters of
"innocent Muslims" in BJP-ruled states as well.

And Devendra Yadav added that the central government
had "certain responsibility towards protecting the
life and property of all Indians".

But none of the despondency at the RJD gathering was
reflected at Lalu Prasad's bash, where his
enthusiastic cheerleaders also described the party
meet as a great move that marks their leader's
"arrival" in Delhi.

"It was Laluji's birthday. We were just enjoying
ourselves. You think this was any occasion for
anything serious?" asked a RJD leader.

As for Lalu Prasad, he enjoyed every moment of the
partying and the attention paid to him.

Present at the party were his family members and the
Who's Who of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA),
including the prime minister and Congress president
Sonia Gandhi.

Also gracing the occasion were Home Minister Shivraj
Patil, who might well become the next president of
India, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president
Sharad Pawar, union Minority Affairs Minister A.R.
Antulay and several other ministers besides an army of
RJD leaders from all over the country.

His wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi
was all smiles.

As for Lalu Prasad, someone remembered that he had
once said that he does not even know when he was born.
"I really don't know my birthday. We are simple
village folk; our parents have no means to keep such
records. At the time of passing high school, whatever
the school teacher wrote down as our date of birth is
our birthday."




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