Too soon to write him off, feel supporters
WHAT NEXT? RJD supporters look at past instances of leaders contesting, and winning, from behind bars to keep alive the hope of a similar resurrection of their chief in jail again
RJD workers look at instances of leaders winning polls from behind bars to keep hopes of a resurrection alive. ››
PATNA: In 1977, posters of a jailed George Fernandes post Emergency made such an impact that he won the Muzaffarpur parliamentary seat in absentia by a huge margin to become the Union minister for industries in the Janat a Party government.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) sym pa this er sand party workers believe the party would be strengthened with their leader Lalu Prasad in jail.
The confidence may be infectious for the cadre but it’s difficult to predict the result of Prasad’s fresh incarceration yet. For, there are three more cases lined up.
The R JD had risen like a colossus, decimating the Congress in 1990 and reaching its apogee in 1995, making a clean sweep with over 167 out of the then 324 seats in undivided Bihar.
The huge win was cemented in the backdrop of a huge social change, sparked off by his rise — ‘the son of ac harv aha( shepherd )’ —as Pr as ad himself described itand upturning the upper-ca ste hegemony in governance, services and politics itself.
It was a‘ plebeian’ government, led by the poor with the strength of 15% of the Ya dav sand Muslims at it score. The‘ MY’ combination, weighing in with 28% population, assured Ya dav would be unchallenged for sometime. The combination put an end to communal riots too.
Pr as ad’ s rise as a‘ commoners CM’ made for signature politics and a churning of the caste cauldron. However, what added to the hype was his mannerism, sometimes bordering on the comical and a careful cultivation of a language tempered in local dialects.
His rise spawned many fables —invented, added and propelled by people themselves. In his sh abby treatment of bureaucrats andhigh police officers, they saw a revenge being exacted from those in power and created a new bond. However, Prasad’s catapulting to national fame rode on the singular act of stopping LK Ad van i’ s Rat hY a tr a to Ayodh ya in 1990at Samastipur, propelling the former as the front line‘ secular’ leader whom Muslims could trust. Thereafter, it has been downhill, especially after the fodder scam was reported in 1996 in Chaibasa treasury andby1997,it had started sullying hiscarefully built image.
The man who spawned films, Diw ali crackers and various merchandise across the board after his name, however, has larger worries today.
As in 1995 and 2005, when tall Janata Dal leaders such as Shara dY ad av, Ni ti sh Kumar and George Fern an des left him, there is fear that the party could disintegrate. But RJD stalwarts like Jag tan and and RaghuvanshN ara in Singh believe“it cannot die ”.
“Laluji may be behind the prison, but his counsel will always prevail. His following can only increase ,” party spokesman Manoj Jha said, “We have just been strengthened”.
Stalwarts like Singh are not the happiest at the mention of Prasad’s younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav leading the party. But the majority of the party’s ML As are still dependent on‘ La lu waves’ to win their constituencies. The question in front of them is this: Can Tejashwie merge as a winnable mascot?
Prasad’s family itself is a bunch of ambitious individuals, with eldest daughter Mis aB h ar ti and elder son Tej Pratap Yadav gunning for bigger roles.
“The situation is such, that many RJD leaders are in touch with us, though some donotsubscribe to our party philosophy. We cannot accommodate them all,” said JD(U)’s RCP Singh last week.
If Prasad is absent from the state’s political scene for a long time, it might spark an exodus.
“Lalu in jail is an asset, if the assembly polls is to happen this year ;2019 could be a different ball game ,” said a top R JD leader, not willing to be quoted. The main worry within the family is, ‘the boys are far from settled in politics”. JD(U) leader KC Tyagi believed the latest conviction closed the RJD chapter. “It’s difficult for it to emerge out of this abyss,” he said.
But betting against Prasad, a man known to rebound every time he is written off, is still fraught with the danger of apolitical miscalculation.
Laluji may be behind the prison, but his counsel will always prevail. His following can only increase. We have just been strengthened. MANOJ JHA, RJD spokesperson