Law Kumar Mishra
In June 1993, Lalu Prasad Yadav organized a massive rally called the “Garib Raily” at Gandhi Maidan, Patna. He was personally visiting every district headquarters urging people to attend the rally.
One day, he visited the North Patna Police Headquarters near Gandhi Maidan and held a meeting in the chamber of City SP Ajay Kumar. Right next door was the chamber of the Senior SP, Anil Kumar Malik—technically the most senior police officer—but the Chief Minister chose to ignore him.
Malik was visibly offended. I spoke to him and said, “The Chief Minister ignored you and prioritized your junior. How do you feel about that?” His reply was blunt: “I don’t care about Lalu.” I told him clearly that his response was for publication. “Aren’t you afraid of Lalu?” I asked. Malik replied, “I do not care for this joker.”
When Lalu was informed that Malik had called him a “joker,” his response was, “He’s my servant.” After returning from Gaya, Lalu suddenly called a press conference at the Chief Minister’s residence. Even the DGP (Director General of Police) was present. Lalu declared, “There was a plot to blow me up with a bomb, and a rickshaw puller has been arrested.”
When reporters asked for more details, he instructed SSP Malik to elaborate. Malik said, “This was a serious conspiracy, like the one that killed Rajiv Gandhi.” Journalists promptly asked, “Are LTTE operatives present in Patna?” Lalu snapped at Malik, “Why are you stuttering?” Within a month, Malik was transferred out of Bihar.
During preparations for that same rally, at a public meeting in Arrah, the District Magistrate personally brought a glass of water for Lalu on stage. In Gaya, the DM brought food from own home. In Muzaffarpur, Lalu called the DM on stage and asked the public, “Who is this?” When the crowd failed to recognize him, Lalu remarked, “What kind of DM is he? Nobody even knows him.”
Lalu Prasad Yadav’s relationship with officers was like that of a king and his subjects. He would issue instructions over the phone and hang up before the officer could even respond. He would often advise officers to think about their families.
Once, a 1976-batch IAS officer known for his integrity visited his residence with a file. Lalu asked, “Do you earn anything extra?” When the officer said no, Lalu scolded him: “Fool! If you die, who will look after your family? No one will.”
Those who played by his rules were given multiple district charges and made heads of important departments. In one case, the promotion file of an IAS officer from the 1980 batch was gathering dust in Lalu’s residence. Disheartened, the officer once walked into the lawn where Lalu was sitting and hurled abuses at him in English. Security guards moved in to escort the officer out, but Lalu stopped them: “Let him speak.”
He then called his principal secretary and signed the promotion file immediately.
But in the infamous fodder scam, the IAS officers who followed Lalu’s orders were later arrested by the CBI. The court sent them to jail. Sajal Chakraborty, who had become Chief Secretary, died in jail. Other IAS officers such as Phoolchand Singh, K. Arumugam, Mahesh Prasad, Banke Julius, and S.N. Dubey were all convicted and imprisoned for their roles in the scam. Lalu is currently out on bail.
When Lalu was first sent to jail in 1997, the IPS Mess at the Bihar Military Police headquarters was converted into a jail cell. Even there, senior bureaucrats like the Chief Secretary would visit him for instructions.
When non-gazetted employees strike for fifth pay commission recommendations continued for over two months, Rabri Devi convened a meeting of senior IAS officers and employees union. She asked the Chief Secretary, “You are getting state government scale or salaries recommended by the pay revision commission? ” The officer clarified since IAS officers are from all India services, they were getting revised scales at par with central officers. The CM said, but you are working in the state, like other employees, you are also in the state government like striking employees, Give them also central scale”. And ,the strike was called off.
During Rabri Devi’s tenure as Chief Minister, she once called Pancham Lal, Commissioner of Chapra division, saying, “You are harassing my father. Why are you not renewing his gun license?”
The Commissioner asked for her father’s age. Upon learning he was 76, the Commissioner replied, “Then I’ll have to arrest your father and confiscate the weapon. You know, people above 75 can’t legally possess arms.”
The Chief Minister, in a saddened tone, said, “Then let it go.”
(The author is a senior journalist based at Patna in Kolkata)
