Why Lalu Yadav stands out as a politician

Nobody needs an introduction to the controversies attached to Lalu Prasad Yadav. Neither are people of India unaware of the unprecedented deterioration brought by his rule to the state of Bihar in last 15 years. The ouster of Lalu and his government during last assembly elections says it all.

Lalu's ouster however, has given him opportunity to cause an image makeover and the shrewd politician has made full use of it. The Bihari politician with a 'katori' hair-cut and a rustic lifestyle has proved that one must not go by his ‘dehati’ looks to gauge his capabilities as a progressive minister. It is true that the remarkable turnaround of the so far loss-making railways is not solely a result of Lalu becoming the Union Railway Minister. The buoyant economy that has caused an increase in travel demands has contributed significantly in turning the Railways into a profit making entity. The significant thing on Lalu’s part is that he has managed to ride on this wave and take it to the next level. There are mainly three people behind the remarkable progress of Indian Railways. But good strategies do not necessarily turn into reality if the minister in charge does not possess the acumen to think beyond the populist Aam-admi syndrome. Unlike most of the earlier Railway ministers, who sought to introduce passenger-centric, socialist policies - which almost always have led the Railways to incur heavy losses - Lalu has proved to be different. He has been receptive to the suggestions of his advisors that there is nothing but benefit to make Railways competitive, and look out for ways to make profits without forgetting the socialist roots Railways has adhered to.

Indian Railways, the largest government employer in the country has always been a generous employer and no minister would seek to reduce its redundant workforce in order to up the profits. Lalu is not an exception either. But he does understand the value of roping in private players wherever possible in "new" ventures that railways plan to undertake. Rather than following the often hurting rather than helping conventional wisdom of experimenting with general class passenger fairs and introducing populist policies, he is trying to experiment with the higher class fairs hoping to attract more high-end travelers. He wants to make Railways compete with the prospering Airline Industry and knows that this won’t happen unless Railways has more to offer than just cheaper fares. In order to make travelling by train more pleasant, he has initiated strategies to set up vending machines, invite McDonalds to set up shops at railway stations, set up hi-speed wireless internet zones in waiting rooms of railway stations in big cities, subjecting various arms of Railways to audits from renowned international auditing firms for recommendations for improvements, handing over catering to private parties, making e-ticketing possible, making railway tickets available at petrol pumps and other places outside Railway stations, etc. Another aspect of revenue generation is enhancing the freight carrying capacity. In any developed country, freight is a major revenue generating wing of Railways. But in India, freight potential has been grossly underestimated. Lalu's budget has encouraged freight revenue. The Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project, inviting private vendors into businesses associated wagon manufacturing and rentals, etc. are a few highlights.

The more admirable part of the privatization attempts by Lalu is that he is managing to do so without inviting criticism from Left parties which are always eager to thwart every attempt by a government agency to privatize or disinvest. Lalu even manages to cast a magic spell strong enough to earn Left’s admiration.

Another important example where Lalu stands out is his recent statement over the Sethu-Samudram controversy. When Congress submitted an affidavit in the apex court questioning the existence of lord Ram, none of the UPA allies cared to react. Lalu was the first UPA ally to criticize Congress by stating that Ram lives in hearts of millions of countrymen and there is no question of questioning his existence. On the contrary, the left allies expressed discontent over Congress’s withdrawal of the controversial affidavit rather than the affidavit itself. What else can one expect from the comrades who argue that religion has no place in their ideology? Ask the Left to take a similar stand on faith of minority religions and it would be crystal clear how quickly it would dump this ideology. Congress is no different either. It wouldn't have dared to question religious beliefs of minority communities and nor should it do so. But it has no right to take the majority community for granted. Lalu was quick in pointing this out to his ally. Be it the ‘opportunist’ politician inside him or the ‘sensible’ one that prompted him to do so, he surely made heads turn in approval.

Authored by : Mandar Garge