About King of Yadav, Lalu prasad Yadavji

Lalu Prasad Yadav . : Lalu Prasad Yadav.jpg Born 11 June 1948 Gopalganj, Bihar Residence Patna Office MP Constituency Chapra Political party RJD Spouse Rabri Devi Children 2 sons and 7 daughtersAs of September 25, 2006Source: [1]Lālu Prasād Yādav (also spelt Laloo Pras This article or section needs copy editing for proper spelling, grammar, usage, tone, style, and voice. You can help by editing it now. A guide is available, as is general editing help. Palu Prasad Yadav Image:Lalu Prasad Yadav.jpg Born 11 June 1948 Gopalganj, Bihar Residence Patna Office MP Constituency Chapra Political party RJD Spouse Rabri Devi Children 2 sons and 7 daughters As of September 25, 2006 Source: [1] Lālu Prasād Yādav (also spelt Laloo Prasad Yadav Earlier, media used to spell Lalu as Laloo. In June, 2004, Lalu clarified that his name should be spelt as Lalu and not Laloo. It's Lalu not Laloo and it's official (June 24, 2004). Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2006-05-08. ) (DevanāgarÄ«: लालू प्रसाद यादव) (born June 11, 1948 in Goplaganj, BiharThe official birthdate of Lalu Prasad Yadav is June 11, 1948, but his actual birthdate is unknown. B’day bash only when communal forces are wiped out: Laloo. Daily Excelsior. Retrieved on 2006-05-08. ),an Indian Politician, known for his charismatic leadership and mass appeal, Amita Malik. Laloo in Wonderland. The Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-05-18. is the Union Minister of India for Railways in the United Progressive Alliance government and also the president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, a Political party of India. He had previously been the Chief Minister of Bihar for seven years. According to Limca Book of Records, he is the longest serving president of an Indian Political PartyLaloo enters Limca Book of Records. The Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-08-24. . Contents 1 Background 2 Political career 2.1 As Railway minister 3 Financial turnaround of Indian Railways 4 International interest in Lalu 5 Lalu in popular culture 6 Lalu as a brand 7 Criticism and controversy 7.1 Votebank politics 7.2 Notorious elements in his fold 7.3 Corruption 8 Personal life 9 Relations with the entertainment industry 10 Institutional bias against Lalu Background Lalu Prasad Yadav was born in a poor Yadav farming family in Phulwaria (Gopalganj district, Bihar. His father's name was Gokul Yadav. He completed his Master's degree in Political Science from Patna University. He is married to Rabri Devi, former chief minister of Bihar on June 1, 1973. Political career Lalu's first political step was involvement in the elections of the Patna University students union. He led the student movement inspired by Jai Prakash Narayan in the 1970s. Lalu, as a student leader, handed over a charter of demands to contemporary Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, during the state of emergency. The Former Chief Minister of Bihar and the then senior leader Late Satyendra Narayan Sinha (affectionately called "Chhote Saheb" ) placed him as a candidate for the Lok Sabha and campaigned for him in 1977[citation needed]. He was elected as a member of 6th Lok Sabha at the age of only 29 years. Within a short span of 10 years, he became a formidable force in Bihar state politics. During the 1989 general and state assembly elections, he led the National Front coalition in Bihar to become a major political leader. When his coalition came to power in the 1990 assembly elections, he was elected the Chief Minister leaving behind Ram Sundar Das, a former chief minister from Janata Party. The World Bank lauded his party World Bank Report : Bihar - Towards a Development Strategy. World Bank. Retrieved on 2006-05-23. for its work in the 1990s on the economic front. According to the BBC, police unearthed a Fodder Scam in 1996 worth Rs 950 crore (US$ 267 Million) in Bihar (going back into the previous Congress government) which allegedly involved Lalu and the state's leading bureaucrats and politicians, albeit the probe itself was ordered by him. More charges framed against Lalu Yadav. The Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-05-08. The fodder scam forced him to resign from the office of Chief Minister Profile: Laloo Prasad Yadav. BBC News. Retrieved on 2006-05-08. and he installed his wife, Rabri Devi, as his successor. He appeared to be within striking distance of becoming Prime Minister of India when the Fodder Scam became public and it thwarted his chances. He formed the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in 1997, after breaking away from the Janata Dal. After ruling Bihar for 15 years, in November 2005 elections, his party, the RJD could win just 54 seats, which put his party in third place, after the Janata Dal United(JDU) and the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP). As Railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from Chhapra and Madhepura seats of Bihar. He was made the railway minister in the UPA Government. Later, he gave up the Madhepura seat. He banned plastic cups used for serving tea at railway stations and announced that they would be replaced by kulhads (earthen cups). He said that this would generate more rural employment."Lalu's 'kulhad', a flop in Bihar", The Times of India, May 1, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-05-23. Later, he also said that he had plans to introduce buttermilkLalu spares passengers; freight untouched. The Hindu. Retrieved on 2006-05-18. and khadiLalu refuses to be CEO, Railways India. The Times of India. Retrieved on 2006-05-18. for the railway passengers to generate more rural employment and reduce pollution. In June 2004, he announced that he would travel by railway to get a firsthand experience of the problems faced by the Indian public; he once inspected the Patna railway station at midnightLaloo’s night out at Patna station. Deccan Herald (June 15, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-05-18., although there were no reports of him travelling by trains. On August 10, 2004 he undertook a surprise check at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi and deducted the salaries of about 500 latecomer employees and sent them back.[citation needed] On August 16, 2004, he carried out a surprise check on a goods train coming from Mumbai at Danapur station. He found that weights of consignments were under-assessed, leading to loss of revenue for Railways. He claimed that railway officials, transporters and consignees were part of a racket.A few top BJP leaders, associated with a company called Samrudha Overseas Pvt Ltd, were allegedly involved in the racket.BJP leaderes in freight scam. Retrieved on August 9,2006. To check the crimes, he planned to introduce joint patrolling by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP). On July 7, 2004, Lalu presented his first railway budget. Lalu didn't increase fares.He offered free second class travel for central governmental job-seeking travelers. He announced launch of 55 new trains"Rail Budget to aggravate politics within UPA", Outlook, February 26, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-05-29., only 23 of which have been shared jointly by Bihar and Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh was proposed to be given 20 additional trains, 10 of the existing trains will be extended and frequences of four will be increased during 2006-07.In the case of Maharashtra 15 new trains, 11 extended trains and increase in frequencies of four trains was announced.For Tamil Nadu,10 new trains, seven extension of trains and increase in frequency of two trains.For Andhra Pradesh 13 new trains, extension to 11 trains and frequencies of one train would be increased. His trains including four Garib Raths connecting U P and Bihar with the South (chennai), Mumbai, Delhi and Amritsar is being seen as an attempt to reach out to the migrant workers from these areas.He introduced Garib Rath from the labour intensive areas of Bihar (Patna) and eastern part of the India to Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Amritsar for poor sections of the people, who in large numbers travel to these areas in search of livelihood Lalu introduced three Garib Nawaz trains from three destinations of the state - Kishenganj, Yeshwantpur and Ranchi (now in Jharkhand) to Ajmer for pilgrimage at the Mazar of Khwaja Garib Nawaz. Lalu also announced two new train for Rae Bareli, home constituency of UPA Chairperson and party chief Sonia Gandhi. He said that he would revoke the contract of A H Wheeler & Co, which runs newspaper stands on most Indian railway stations, because they were enjoying monopoly ever since English (British) left India and would invite open tender. "A.H. Wheeler faces the axe of Lalu's reforms", domain-b.com, July 19, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-05-23. In July 2004, Lalu lobbied the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to declare a Rs. 3225 crore aid package for Bihar. On July 13, 2004, Lalu announced an inquiry into the Godhra Train Burning incident, in which several Vishva Hindu Parishad members were allegedly burnt alive by Muslims in a compartment of the Sabarmati Express. On August 5, 2004 he claimed that L.K.Advani, Leader of the Opposition was an accused in a conspiracy to kill Mohammed Ali Jinnah and described him as an 'international absconder'. On September 14, 2004 Lalu asked L.K.Advani to come clean on ‘his involvement' in the alleged conspiracy to assassinate the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah.He made public some proofs too."Laloo to Advani: Come clean on Jinnah murder", Press Trust of India, September 14, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-08-09. On September 28, 2004,Lalu alleged Venkaiah Naidu,the then Union Rural Minister, of having sold off 55,000 tonne of wheat in the name of drought relief distribution in AP. "A CBI probe will be initiated to find the truth" he said.."Laloo seeks CBI probe against NDA", expressindia.com, September 28, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-08-09. In August, 2005, just before the assembly polls in Bihar, Laloo promised model railway stations, gauge conversion works and employment in Railways. Laloos's list of railway stations to be developed as "model stations" included 7 stations from Bihar and only 2 from the rest of India((one has to "select prior issue" from top-right of the webpage as August 14, 2005 to access this link) "Lalu ka polls prasad!", Mumbai Mirror, August 14, 2005. ). The seven stations in Bihar included Madhepura, Darbhanga, Patna, Kishenganj, Motihari, Araria and another station. Lalu also "found" 80,000 old C and D grade vacancies in the Railways. Apart from this, he cut the general and second class fare by one rupee, and announced the implementation of internet based ticketing and reservations. He also announced plans for open ticketing and a new scheme on upgradation of lower class passengers to a higher class automatically. Financial turnaround of Indian Railways Lalu Prasad Yadav is now credited with engineering the financial turnaround of Indian Railways, which was on the verge of bankruptcy.Reference:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/494252.cms What makes his performance commendable is that he has left the passenger fares untouched and has found out other revenue streams for railways to make it a cash cow. When Lalu took over, the Indian Railways was a loss-making organisation. The Rakesh Mohan Committee (headed by Rakesh Mohan, secretary, department of economic affairs) had termed it a 'white elephant' and predicted that it was destined to hit Rs 61,000 crore (Rs 610 billion) in bankruptcy by 2015 gt;Lalu to teach management at IIM-A. Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.. Defying all these predictions , the Railways , under Lalu , booked an unprecedented surplus of 110 billion rupees (2.47 billion dollars)Indian Railways announces financial turnaround, new tracks. The News International, Pakistan. Retrieved on 2006-05-18..He announced this turnaround during his Budget-Speech-06-07 in these words.     Image:Cquote1.png {{{1}}}     Image:Cquote2.png An impressed Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad is studying the Indian Railways turnaround story to make it a case study for its students. "CEO Lalu set to enter IIM-A classroom", The Econmic Times. Retrieved on 2006-05-23..Prof G. Raghuram, a faculty member,IIM-A , has already conducted a detailed study on the Railways turnaround "IIM-A awaits Lalu's Rly turnaround story", The Business Line. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.. On September 18 this year, Lalu delivered a lecture to management students and the faculty at IIM-A, explaining finer points of the Indian Railways "turnaround". "Lalu to deliver lecture at IIM Ahmedabad", The Hindu. Retrieved on 2006-09-06..A study conducted by The Indian Express concludes "Driving a turnaround", The Indian Express. Retrieved on 2006-09-06. : The turnaround of the Railways is real, touchable and backed by record-breaking figures The turnaround is deeper than petty restructuring The turnaround has happened without any increase in fares or freight rates. The turnaround has been led by Lalu. As part of his drive to modernise the railways Lalu Prasad Yadav has decided to send nearly 100 top officials ,25 general managers of different railway zones and 60 divisional railway managers abroad for training in latest techniques and sharpen their managerial skills in Management Schools of USA and France "Lalu aims at complete image makeover", The Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-09-06..He is also seeking agreement with Italian National Railways. International interest in Lalu It has been learnt through various sources that many foreign embassies and universities like the Harvard and HEC Management School,France have sought his bio-data to know more about him Lalu goes to Harvard. The Times of India/City Supplement (July 8 , 2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-10. . It is reported that The Indian government has been inundated with requests from embassies and high commissions asking for Lalu's bio-data, as well as the possibility of a visit, ever since he became a minister in the central government. Speaking to Asia Times Online, Lalu said, "People all over the world want to know how the son of a cowherd has risen to such heights. Their interest in me is a victory of Indian democracy." One of his officials said more than 100 missions have sought his bio-data and asked questions about him .[2] Harvard wants my bio-data: Lalu. Rediff.com (September 13, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-05-23. According to Sudhir Kumar, officer on special duty for Lalu Prasad Yadav,who was in France for a conference where he met Professor Steven R Ditmeyer, a former faculty member of Harvard and now on deputation to National Defense University, "The professor is intrigued by the man behind the success story of the railways and will be visiting India soon to learn more about him as well as the turnaround. His subject of the case study would be -- How has a man with no formal education brought about a change of this magnitude? (Actually, Lalu is a Masters in Political Science from the Patna University and also holds a Bachelor-at-Law - - degree from the same institution). On basis of his view, Harvard Business School will consider a case study on the railways,".On a similar note Karine Lejoly of HEC says, "We are looking at making the Indian Railways a part of our course. While nothing has been finalised as of now, I will be visiting India in October-November to talk to the concerned officials." Lalu in popular culture Many books have been written in praise of Lalu by local writers including Lalu Chalisa and Lalu Hala. These books are popular among the masses in the Hindi Heartland. Lalu is regarded as a cult figure among some of them. There are full time entertainers who mimic Lalu as a profession. According to a Zee News report many local barbers and saloons are earning handsome money by offering what they call the `Lalu style hair cut`. A barber of Hajipur was quoted saying,"The style is a craze among the youths and even policemen" Brand Lalu ruling Bihar markets. Zeenews.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-06. Lalu as a brand Lalu has been recognised as brand among indian industries. The ‘LALU’ Brand in Rural Bihar. Business insights International. Retrieved on 2006-09-06. A Patna-based company had launched "Lalu Khaini" (tobacco) in 2004, which was a hit. In 2005, Speedage Corp. introduced "Laluji" dolls that became popular with kids. In 2006, Lalu ka Khzana, a chocolate produced by New Delhi-based Chetak company, became very popular with kids in rural areas of north Bihar districts like Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi and Madhubani. The wrapper of the chocolate packet depicted two different caricatures of Lalu — one as a politician and the other as a magician. More than 100,000 packets were reportedly soldLalu choc-a-bloc. The Tribune, Chandigarh (June 18, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-24.. A cheap cosmetic pack branded as Lalu Chale Sasural ("Lalu goes to in-laws house") had become extremely popular among rural Bihari girls, especially in the areas such as Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Samastipur. Each packet was priced at Rs 23 and contained items of daily use like face powder, cream, earrings, sticker, and a necklace'Brand Lalu' sells like hot cake. The Times of India (June 20, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-24.. In June 2006, Prakash Agro Industries in Bihar started selling cattle fodder under the brand name Lalu Pashu Aahar. It was reported that the outcome of this branding strategy had surpassed the company's expectations and they were facing problems in meeting the huge demand for their fodderThe 'LALU' Brand in Rural Bihar. Retrieved on 2006-09-24. In 2006, a dating website called LalooRabri.com was launched. The managing director of the website claimed that the site had 30,000 hits in first 15 days and over 7000 people signed in Dating website launched on Lalu, Rabri. NDTV.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.. Some Amul Butter advertisements also featured a character looking like Lalu. Criticism and controversy Lalu is criticized mainly for three things - his use of Vote Bank Politics, his support to notorious elements and corruption. Votebank politics Lalu Yadav is alleged to have mobilised a huge support base by building and maintaining Votebanks in a state where caste divisions were already rampant. Bihar on the edge. Frontline (October 20045). Retrieved on 2006-05-29. Lalu is said to have received support from the Muslim and Yadav votebanks in Bihar. The clash of the Yadavs. Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-06. , and is considered extremely popular among members of both communities. Lavish praise for Lalu. The Hindu (September 16, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-05-23. At the same time, his brand of politics has caused a great deal of resentment among other caste groups such as Bhumihars, Rajputs, Brahmins and Kayasthas (who Lalu has collectively dubbed Bhurabal meaning brown hair). While Lalu has been criticised for aggravating caste divisions through his policies, his admirers claim that he helps disadvantaged groups out of a belief in secularism and social justice. Notorious elements in his fold Some MPs belonging to Lalu's party (RJD) have criminal charges against them. Half of Laloo's G-8 at Centre are tainted. The Pioneer. Retrieved on 2006-05-29. The most notorious is the Siwan MP Mohammed Shahabuddin. Many of Lalu's own party members including Gopalganj MP Sadhu Yadav (brother of Lalu's brother-in-law Subhash Yadav) had asked him to sever ties with Shahbuddin. Personal life Lalu married Rabri Devi (who also held the post of Bihar's Chief Minister) in 1973 and has two sons and seven daughters. According to him, his large family is a protest against the forced sterilization during Indian Emergency (1975 - 77) Siddharth Srivastava (September 29, 2004). India's man for all seasons. Asia Times. Retrieved on 2006-05-29. .His eldest daughter is Misa Bharati, whose first name is based on an act (the Maintenance of Internal Security Act) that provided the police an independent authority in certain cases to arrest and detain persons, in public interest, without court's permission in the late 1970s.. The second name of his eldest daughter, Bharati, represents India as mother Bharati, a goddess. He and his wife are deeply religious, and follow rigorous religious traditions of the Hindus, the majority social group of India. His wife performs Chhath every year. Subhash Yadav is Lalu's brother-in-law, brother of his wife Rabri Devi. Relations with the entertainment industry Lalu has a sizable fan following in Bollywood, which includes actors Sunil Shetty and Raja Murad; and directors Mahesh Manjrekar and Mahesh Bhatt; to name a few. According to actor, Shatrughan Sinha, who is also a political opponent of Lalu's, had he (Lalu) not been a politician, he could have been an actor.Amarnath Tiwary. Laloo's Filmi Fans. Bihar Times (coutsey:Outlook). Retrieved on 2006-08-10. .Mahesh Bhatt has gone to the extent of saying that Lalu deserves to become Prime Minister[3]. Lalu appeared in a cameo role in the 2004 Bollywood movie, Padamshree Laloo Prasad Yadav. Though his name appeared in the title, the movie was not about him, but had characters named Padmashreee, Laloo, Prasad and Yadav. Lalu is a popular subject of jokes among comedians like Shekhar Suman, Johnny Lever and Paresh Rawal.Shekhar Suman who was a very little known actor till he started mimicing Lalu is said to have carved a career out of it [4]. Institutional bias against Lalu This article or section does not cite its references or sources. You can help Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations. This article has been tagged since September 2006. There are reports of Lalu being subject of institutional bias against him, which can be divided into :Media bias and other institutional biases. Although he has maintained good relationship with media , at times he has accused media of being unfair,and even threatened to sue for defamation Virendra Kapoor. Lalu ko gussa kyun ata hai. Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-28. . Media bias against him has been recognised by a section of pressChandrabhan Prasad. Is this the Empire's revenge?. The Pioneer. Retrieved on 2006-09-06. . Lalu had banned many reporters within first year of his tenure for spreading false information about him. Some of these reporters hailed from most reputed Publishing Houses of India[citation needed]. One such weekly called Dharmayug has closed its operations indefinitely. Some of the fantastic claims they made were Lalu has studied upto High School only[citation needed].