The Hindu : National : Lalu Prasad leaves MPs in splits

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Lalu Prasad leaves MPs in splits

Aarti Dhar

Quotes romantic Hindi film song, hints at rapprochement with Left

NEW DELHI: Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Tuesday displayed wit and humour in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the confidence motion.

His style of oration left most members, irrespective of political affiliations, spellbound. Mr. Prasad showered praise on some while targeting others.

Members of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), however, staged a walkout alleging that he (Mr. Prasad) was on record that a Dalit’s daughter (referring to the U.P. Chief Minister Mayawati) should not become Prime Minister. This charge was rejected by Mr. Prasad. He said he too, like many others in the House, was in the race for prime ministership but not in a hurry. “Charity does not make anyone Prime Minister,” he added.

He said he had told television channels – at his residence in the morning – that no one would allow a Dalit’s daughter or a minority community member to become the Prime Minister. Dr. Singh was an exception to this pervading mentality, he had said, and appealed to the Shiromani Akali Dal to review its decision to vote against the motion.

Interspersing his speech with songs from old Hindi films, he said the Left had made it clear that it would part ways with the Congress before the general elections as it had to contest against the Congress in West Bengal and Kerala. “But we will continue to pacify and mollify the Left parties in future,” he quipped, leaving everyone is splits.

He referred to the song “Char saal pehle humey tumsey pyaar tha, aaj bhi hai aur kal bhi rahega [we were in love four years ago, and so we will be today and tomorrow)]’ from the Dev Anand-Asha Parekh starrer, “Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hotha Hai.”

Mr. Prasad said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had taken a historic step by moving a confidence motion in the House. “If the Opposition had the courage, it should have brought the no-confidence motion along with its team of ‘sadhus and sants’ [saints and religious men].”

Taking a dig at Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani, the Railway Minister said he had not mentioned the nuclear deal or the country’s strategic relations with America. All he had spoken about was the communal virus.

Turning to veteran parliamentarian George Fernandes, he asked him what he was doing in the Opposition camp, because it was he (Mr. Fernandes) who had taught him (Mr. Prasad) and Mulayam Singh socialism.

“The world is laughing at us and everyone says the members of Parliament do not know what the [nuclear] deal is about,” he said, while accusing the Left parties of creating confusion on the issue.

Mr. Prasad said every time India wanted to create dams to generate electricity, there were protests from environmentalists. “The Sunderlal Bahugunas and the Medha Patkars are up in arms on some charge or the other.”

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