Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, October 26
Lalu Prasad Yadav, is scheduled to join by-election campaign at Tarapur and Kusheshwarsthan and seek votes for RJD candidates.
He was the first MP to be disqualified on October 13, 2013 following first conviction for five years and now he cannot contest an election (except his party) for 11 years.
The Titanic politician from Bihar who started his electoral innings first in 1970 when he was elected general secretary of students’ union and in 1973, president of the union. Counting took place on the first floor hall of BN College under the supervision of Principal S K Bose. It was marred with tension as some ballot boxes were found thrown on the field when electricity was switched off and CRPF was summoned.
As PUSU president (elected on an alliance between Samajwadi Yuvraj Sabha and Vidyarthi Parishad), he was member of government committees of Patna district and had successfully persuaded the administration to have special counters for students in all cinema halls. PUSU president was entitled with telephones in the office and residence/ hostel room.
His real plunge into active politics was hosting of convention of leaders of students’ unions from different universities in the country at Senate Hall where Kuldip Nayar was the chief guest. Lalu had polled 1859 votes against his nearest Left students’ leader, Ramsharan Prasad Singh of engineering college bagged 1590. Singh rose to become MTNL CMD and Lalu took the heights to chief minister and Union minister.
Students assembled at the State assembly on March 18,1974 to gherao the Assembly on the opening day of budget session. Rest is the history as large scale arson, violence, destruction of both government and private property followed. JP was handed over the leadership, emergency was declared.
At the age of 29, Lalu defeated sitting member, Ramshekhar Singh of Congress from Chapra Lok Sabha constituency. The author was with Lalu in the election campaign as a journalist, right from Mahendru Ghat when he was going to file nomination papers. On March 23,1977 he was given certificate by returning officer and returned by steamer from Pahleza Ghat. Rs 60 was the daily rate for hiring Ambassador car as taxi. (And now, fleet if SUVs).
Lalu used to campaign in his constituency till 3 am, he obliged all hosts and accepted their food even late night. There was no cooler or AC then and he slept on chauki in the open, had bath on the well sides or handpumps. As Newly elected member of Lok Sabha, Lalu had gone to New Delhi by the then popular Sonbhadra Express in sleeper class (second class, non-AC and in 2004, he had MR special saloons. Prabhat Jamaiyar, his cabinet member in Union presented him a box with eatables for train journey. Lalu became the Railways Minister 27 years later and introduced Garib Rath and earned laurels from IIM, Oxford too.
