LALOO Prasad Yadav was once again doing the rounds on the capital's Raisina Hill last week, prompting a Janata Dal worker to comment: "The tiger is out of the cage and on the prowl...his enemies should run for cover." But Laloo was in a new avatar, that of salesman. The main item in his bag of tricks was a "secular alliance" as an alternative to the United Front.
To that end, he met Congress president Sitaram Kesri, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Kanshi Ram, spoke to the ailing V.P. Singh, textiles minister R.L. Jalappa and Lok Shakti leader Ramakrishna Hegde and even broke bread with prime minister I.K. Gujral. He wooed Chandra Shekhar and Devi Lal, Ajit Singh and Shankersinh Vaghela. At the end of his four-day stay, if nothing else, a grand alphabetical front had emerged: the nascent Congress-BSP-RJD-RJP-SSP-JMM-SJP-BKKP alliance.
Somewhat mellowed by his stint in "jail", Laloo retained his rustic humour and no-nonsense approach to political issues but tended to guard his tongue. Not, however, when it came to his key detractors—JD chief Sharad Yadav, UF chairman H.D. Deve Gowda and the Left Front. His verbal assault on them prompted UF spokesman Jaipal Reddy to comment that the core group had taken note of and strongly condemned Laloo's "indecent personal remarks".
The Laloo factor, in fact, dominated the UF's core group meeting on December 16. Furious with Gujral for not having sacked the three RJD ministers of the enemy camp,Sharad and Gowda sought to pressure the prime minister on the issue. But the most Gujral would do was "leave it to the conscience" of the RJD ministers. "With what conscience are they asking for our resignations?" shot back food minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh. Gujral snubbed Gowda & Co by taking one of the three RJD ministers to Punjab with him on the very day newspapers carried the demand for their resignation. "Why doesn't he throw my ministers out?" challenged Laloo.
A UF leader from the south commented that Laloo was being over-hyped, perhaps because he'd just emerged from jail. "Don't forget that Laloo will have to answer to the electorate for years of mal administration and corruption. Don't overestimate his strength. It will not be a cakewalk for him." He dismissed any hope of a pre-poll adjustment between the UF and Laloo, since he had chosen to go with the Congress.
While Sharad dismissed Laloo's return as being of no consequence, RJD MP Ram Kirpal Yadav was exultant: "His very emergence from jail has enthused party workers. He is a mass hero and a star campaigner who will give us an unbeatable advantage. On the national scene, he will be a deciding factor in the coming days." The RJD would spare no effort to defeat Sharad and Ram Vilas Paswan in Madhepura and Hajipur respectively, said RJD MP Nagamani. "We don't need a big neta to defeat Paswan. A rickshawallah or a the lawallah will be enough," he declared. In all likelihood, however, Laloo will field the formidable Ram Sunder Dass against Paswan.
Laloo found unexpected friends. Sources close to Sheohar MP Anand Mohan Singh, who recently quit the Samata Party, said he was considering a tie-up with Laloo. The RJD chief had a two-hour meeting with Kanshi Ram and said he was impressed with the man's reasonableness. "I have seen him at close quarters. He is a liberal." An RJD MP saw this as an index of Laloo's commitment to the secular alliance. "We must tie up with the Congress, the BSP, and whoever else would like to come with us. Unless we are part of a front, how can we tell voters we are making a pitch for power at the Centre?" The RJD chief carefully avoided targeting the UF as a whole, dubbing the BJP as the main enemy: "Our (the secular alliance's) one-point programme is to keep the BJP out." He reserved some venom for the Left which spearheaded the campaign for his ouster. "I gave the CPI 12 seats in Bihar last time. They won four, only with my help."
Karnataka JD leaders, dissatisfied with Gowda, are in touch with Laloo. His game-plan in Karnataka, however, depends largely on Hegde. If he agrees to join the secular alliance, the JD could split, with the pro-Laloo faction going over to Hegde. But the Lok Shakti leader appeared more inclined to join hands with the BJP. As for hopes of returning to the JD fold, Laloo snapped: "Samjhauta barabari se hota hai (an understanding is possible only among equals)".
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