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Lalu interacts with Bihar students

Photo: Vipinchandran

ALL EARS: Union Minister for Railways Lalu Prasad interacting with North Indian students on the Cusat campus on Friday.

KOCHI: Union Minister for Railways Lalu Prasad was in for a surprise on Friday morning, as he experienced a slice of Bihar on the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) campus.

Seconds after he finished his inaugural address at the management lecture organised by the School of Management Studies at the University, the Minister heard a group of students from Bihar shouting slogans such as ‘Laluji zindabad,’ ‘Laluji amar rahai’ (Long live Lalu).

Breaking away from the police cordon, Mr. Prasad joined the celebrations. He could not hide his joy when Cusat authorities informed that more than 400 students from Bihar (there are a total B. Tech. seats about 1,000) were pursuing B. Tech programmes on the campus. “They have given me a list of demands that include direct trains from Bihar and other Northern States. All their requests will be considered favourably,” the Minister said.

Sarwar Alam, a management student, was so excited to see his leader after a long time. “I have requested him to open a railway reservation counter on the campus. It would be of help to students coming from other States,” he said. Kunal Soni, a student from New Delhi, said that the students have also requested that the facilities at the Kalamassery Railway station be upgraded. Ravi Prakash, a student from Bihar, requested his leader to speed up the process of upgrading Cusat into an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology. The Minister, who was not satisfied with the space available at the auditorium of the School of Management Studies, announced Rs.10 lakh financial assistance for its development.

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