A chapter ended today: Dal

GLOOM: Lalu Prasad leaves the CBI court with son Tejashwi Prasad after being convicted in a fodder scam case in Ranchi on Saturday. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Dipak Mishra, TT, Dec 24, 2017, Patna: What does Lalu Prasad's conviction mean for Bihar politics this time? RJD leaders were not sure even as they saw Lalu being escorted away. It took JDU leader K.C. Tyagi to sum it up. 

"A chapter in Bihar politics ends today. Lalu ji played a prominent political role as a youth leader in the JP agitation than as a mass leader. He had his successes. But he also had his defeats and was ultimately fighting a lonely battle," Tyagi said.

Lalu has played a long innings in Bihar politics right from his student days, completely dominating it from 1990 to 2005. He proved obituary writers wrong many a time. But the mood in the RJD camp is very demoralised now.

Lalu redefined politics in Bihar. His earthly touch, his instant connect with supporters, his commitment towards "secularism" and his fighting spirit continue to make him a mass leader.

But after Lalu was taken into custody on Saturday, political observers said politics will never be the same again in Bihar. "It is not an obituary. But Lalu's brand of politics will perhaps not happen again. This time we do not know when he will come out and also if his health will permit him to do vigorous politicking," said a senior RJD leader.

RJD leaders hope the past will repeat itself when Lalu comes out of jail. "We have faced similar situations in the past when Lalu ji was in jail. But we remained united and emerged stronger. The same thing will happen this time too," former Union minister Kanti Singh said.

The party's national spokesperson Manoj Jha said Lalu had been convicted because he represents the aspirations of the backward castes.

"The RJD is now blaming the judiciary," JDU spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said. "What sort of faith in the judiciary are they talking about?"

Politicians had filed a number of petitions when the fodder scam first surfaced. Among them were Sushil Kumar Modi and Shivanand Tiwari. Reacting to Lalu's conviction on Saturday, Sushil Modi cited the idiom " Boya per babul ka aam kaha se hoyee (How to expect mangoes if you sow prickly crops?)" and was quick to recall that he was one of the petitioners whose action led to investigations in the fodder scam being monitored by a Patna High Court bench.

The ground reality is Lalu remains a powerful polit-ical force whether in jail or outside.

"No other political party or leader enjoys the level of commitment by voters that he does," conceded a senior BJP leader. All eyes will now be on Tejashwi Yadav, the son RJD leaders and workers acknowledge as Lalu's successor.