DESPITE overwhelming support for Laloo Prasad Yadav in Phulwaria, even his most ardent supporters are not too happy about the growing clout of his two brothers-in-law, Sadhu Yadav and Subhash Yadav. According to the locals, they have emerged as the most powerful fixers in the Janata Dal—the men to know when you want anything done. And Laloo's sasural (wife's home) in Selar, 5 km away from Phulwaria, has also reaped its share of the benefits.
Says A.H. Siddique, who runs a typing school in Gopalganj: "The only multi-storeyed house in Selar belongs to Laloo's wife's family. The commercial complex on the Gopalganj road, the first of its kind in this area, is owned by Sadhu Yadav. And many of the facilities provided in Phulwaria have also been provided in Selar, while the other villages in the area have been meted out stepmotherly treatment. If Phulwaria is Bihar's Amethi, Selar has definitely become the mini-Amethi." Many residents of Phulwaria, even if they do not resent the fact that Selar too has benefited from Laloo's ascendancy in state politics, do give in to bouts of good old-fashioned jealousy regarding the influence "Laloo's sasural" wields. "Rabari Devi only married the future chief minister of Bihar, why should her hometown be compared with Laloo's? There is lot of work yet to be done in Phulwaria. And anyway, we don't exploit Laloo like they do. One of Laloo's brothers still lives in a semi-pucca house while his wife's brothers have constructed huge houses," they add. And others wonder if another family feud is in the making.
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