Lalu Prasad Yadav

Desi Fun(da) ... and more.

All of us Indians are used to seeing illiterate, unsavvy and crumpled politicians talk out of their ass all the time. With the arrival of Lalu Prasad Yadav in the early 90s we saw a new breed and unique breed emerge. A seemingly foolish looking guy clad in the regular khaki kurta payjama (typical wear for the region of Bihar and most politicians) came out of nowhere and started being a major force in Bihar politics. His reign at the helm of Bihar, first by himself and later by his wife, came to an abrupt end this year with the reemergence of Ram Vilas Paswan, his long time rival.

But well Lalu has moved on to greater things since the UPA came to power. Being a supporter of "secular" forces Lalu smartly joined the Congress and allies to form the government at the centre and was made the Railways Minister of India. Little would people think that under his reign the Raiways has seen unique and impactful reforms to compete with the emerging flood of low-cost airlines. Lalu has managed to not only compete but in many aspect beat these carriers with unique schemes. Some of his projects include
* upgradation of canteen facilities at all railway stations
* use of earthen cups for serving water
* use of khadhi extensively thereby providing employment for the small scale industry workers
* unique upgradation scheme to facilitate retention of revenue via upgrading a waiting list passenger from lower class to the next higher class if possible instead of refunding the money
* now a new low cost ac train to for the common man
and am sure there are more that I can't recollect.

When Lalu speaks it is usually with a wonderful sense of humor and is always willing to make a joke on himself while subtly snubbing his opposition. He has worked wonderfully as the Railways minister and he deserves a pat on the back. Todays TOI reports that the Railways is infact growing at a rate surpassing the economy of India. That says a lot and it is wonderful to hear. The Indian Railways being "the" largest rail network in the world and one of the largest employers in the country has a lot to be proud of. With the Railways doing well these employees will definitely benefit and thereby bringing in the benefit of a successful PSU to the common Indian.

Am looking out for all the unique schemes he is keen on getting started this year in the Railway Budget (did you know that the Railways presents its budget before the Central Budget.. a kind of legacy which shows the importance of good transport infrastructure). Keep the good work going Mr Minister.