Laloo (CAMPAIGN TRAIL)

Laloo (CAMPAIGN TRAIL)
Santanu Saraswati
Naraianpur/ Nala (Jamtara): May 29 -- When it comes to taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it is Laloo Prasad Yadav who does it best. The RJD strongman swayed his magic wand over the electorate of Dumka here on Wednesday as he campaigned for Congress nominee Simon Marandi taking the by-poll fever to its zenith.From Dumka to Nala to Jamtara, the irrepressible Laloo went hammer and tongs against the BJP casting a magic spell over the voters particularly around the sizable Yadav-Muslim vote bank. In perfect harmony to the choice of the venues of the meetings, Laloo kept playing the minority and Yadava cards at Narainpur in Jamtara as also in Nala. Exhibiting his ability to play on the nerves of the masses, Laloo Yadav made an effortless use of his mastery over rural dialects while referring to all current national issues to grill the BJP and the Sangh Pariwar.Laloo's whirlwind campaign began at Dumka almost an hour behind schedule. But once the Sahara chopper carrying him touched the Gandhi Maidan, the atmosphere turned electric. As he took over the mike, the crowd went into a hysteria relishing every bit of what Laloo had to say. In his natural style, Laloo played the role of a strict disciplinarian first getting the crowd to sit down and remain in order. As the crowd showed a sense of unrest Laloo shouted, "Laore danda mar ke teek kar detha hum". Then he turned a typical schoolmaster teaching the crowd how to vote on the "computer voting machine". Addressing the electorate as "Dumka ka bahadur matdata", the RJD chief said, "vote ka tharika badal gaya hai, ab computer la diya hai". According to him it is the BJP's conspiracy to play fraud on the illiterate masses and rig tthe poll. He recalled how he had opposed the introduction of Electronic Voting Machines and Photo Identity Cards.He regretted that his complaint before T N Sheshan was misinterpreted as an effort to loot booths. He cautioned the electorate saying, "aap ko booth mei goosne nahi dega kyon ki garib ke paas koi I card nahi hai, na driving license, na lal card hai". In abid to justify his opposition to the EC's decision to bring in EVMs and I cards, Laloo chose to play on emotions saying," our women wear pardha, how can they be photographed". In a master stroke against the BJP, the Raja of Bihar said, "Bhajapa Musalman aur hamare auraton ka vote chinlena ka sajeesh karr raha hai". The crowd agreed responding that the administration has made cards "ulta pulta".At all the three venues of his meetings, Laloo taught the people how to cast vote on the "computer machine". Showing his palm to suggest the Congress' poll symbol, Laloo said, "the hand symbol is the fifth on the machine and use your finger precisely and carefully". Like a true teacher the Laloo said, "Pancha chaap ke daine side mei ek lal button hai aur uske ooper ek Neela button". Soon somebody on the dias corrected him saying "hara button hai". Laloo responded saying, "hamare Dhanapur mei neela hai" and carried on the lecture saying, "hara button ko badiya se dhabana, thab lal button bolega teeen, agar nahi bolta hai tho votting officer ko bolke lalbutton se teeen kahvana". Likee a true guide, Laloo cautioned the people saying, "ek bhi vote ither uther hone hi nahi dhena".In Muslim dominated Jamtara, Laloo warned the electorate saying, "during the last election, you allowed the BJP to win because the BJP hoodwinked you to keep Laloo under control. Gujarat riots took the lead in his speech here as he warned the minority community voters about the RSS-BJP conspiracy "to pack off 70 lakh Indian Muslims to Pakistan". The milling villagers seemed relishing Laloo's rural jokes and ex-pressions as he lampooned Vajpayee saying, "there is tension in the border but the PM is holidaying in Manali and keeping on speaking off decisive battle although Pakistan is testing missile after missile". In his inimitable style Laloo cheers the crowd saying, "BJP ka matlab Bharat Jalao Party aur Atal-Advani hai america ka pittu".As he leaves for Jamtara Laloo asks Simon Marandi about the size of the Yadava votes there and adds, "apana ghar ko pahale teek karna hai". During his meeting at Narainpur Laloo makes a faux pass by referring to the Congress nominee as Stephen Marandi. The mistake embarrasses the crowd as Laloo laughs like a schoolboy and corrects himself. He then refers to JMM's political inconstancy saying, "Guruji ka koi teekane nahi hai". In a carefully crafted ex-pression, which leaves the crowd confused about Laloo's opposition to his natural ally Sibu Soren in the Dumka bypoll, Laloo said, "Guruji Hanumanji hai. Kabhi pahad per bhel khate hai, kabhi ped par badahar khate hai". Throughout his campaign Laloo seemed to be leaving the Dumka electorate free to choose between the JMM and the Congress but made it clear to the masses that "you should defeat the BJP at any cost". Laloo was his offensive best when he referred to Chief Minister Babaulal Marandi saying, "Marandi is no CM material, he has poured water on the people's aspirations, he is playing in the hands of the RSS and the mafia". Exhorting the people to defeat Marandi, Laloo selects the rural ex-pression," is baar Marandi ko maad(rise juice) pilana hai". Throughout his campaign the former Bihar seemed to be in a hurry but made it a point to resort to his usual poll gimmicks and histrionics. In bid to counter the BJP's charge that Laloo had no relevance in Jharkhand, the Raja of Bihar kept on stressing, "I have given you a separate state but Bihar and Jharkhand are brothers and so we should now join hands to crush the communal BJP and save the nation". Showing his ability at making predictions in politics, he said that soon after the Presidential election there would be a general election in the country. Dumka masses, he said, should begin the BJP's ouster as they had held Advani under detention in Massanjore after "Laloo Yadav ended the Rath Yatra". The crowd, particularly the minority community members cheered Laloo shouting slogans as the RJD chief wound up his by-poll campaign blitzkrieg in this tribal heartland and flew back to his native kingdom. EOM
santanu_saraswati@hindustantimes.com