VAISHALI: 'They say it will be Jungle Raj Part 2...No, it will be Mandal Part 2 — Lalu Prasad'. So lists out the RJD leader's main election plank.
Phase 3 of Bihar polls may be more than a week away, but there's no slowing down for Lalu Prasad. Both his sons, Tejashwi and Tej Pratap, contesting in this phase.
ET spent a day on his campaign trail on Sunday, attending four of his eight rallies of the day, to witness crowds turning out in good numbers to listen to the ever-popular former chief minister.
"Modi said he will put Rs 15 lakh in everyone's account. I thought, I have seven daughters, two sons and Rabri — I would have been richer by Rs 1.5 crore; my life would have been set. But like you, I also got 'than-than gopal' (zilch)," Prasad said at Deedarganj, his second rally of the day, and he had the crowd in splits.
A towel on his head, Prasad's characteristic style ensures an instant crowd connect.
At his Fatuha rally, organisers put a table fan on the stage, which Prasad got removed. "The public is standing in such heat, why do I need a fan?" he said, drawing cheers.The first thing that Prasad now does after climbing the stage at all his rallies is to look up and check that there is no ceiling fan — one had fallen on his arm the other day.
Prasad's speeches revolve around Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "broken promises". He even scolded the crowd at the Khumurpur rally for not listening to him during the Lok Sabha polls and voting for BJP. "How much did I try make you understand then...but you got swayed. Now accept your mistake...atone for it. Recognise these vultures in the form of BJP choppers hovering over Bihar skies," he said.
Prasad always wants to involve with the crowds. He deliberately makes his chopper hover above the rally venues for a while to get the crowds in.
"BJP says I brought Jungle Raj. They call Biharis jungli...insult us. Modi did narsanhar (massacre) in Gujarat...Amit Shah is BJP ka narbakshi (cannibal). Hum unhe Bihar mein patak denge (We will beat them)," he said at Khumurpur. "We do a have a jungle which has Bhalus (bears). Bhalu kha lega (Bear may devour you)," he said.
Prasad also makes sure to cash in on RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat's reservation comment at all his rallies. "Bhagwat is Modi's guru. He wants to take away the reservation right of your children — a gift of Ambedkar. Over my dead body," Prasad thundered at Rajapakar.
Rajapakar, he declared that Bihar will burn the 'demons' of Modi this Dussehra. "Modi called me a shaitaan. I called him brahm piscach. Modi, remember Dussehra is coming. Bihar will burn the demons by casting their vote in favour of Mahagathbandan," he said.It's rare for crowds to hear Prasad backing chief minister Nitish Kumar whom the former had termed 'back stabber' and 'babul ka pedh' during Lok Sabha campaigning. "A BJP MP of Jehanabad threatened to break Nitish's chest if he acted on JDU MLA Anant Singh. I said, don't think Nitish is alone now. He is my younger brother — a poor son of a Kurmi," Prasad said at Fatuha.
Prasad ended the day at Subhai with a piece of wisdom: "In Lok Sabha, me, my brother Nitish and my Samadhi Mulayam Singh Yadav fought separately (and) Modi got through. Not this time."
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