The Laloo Prasad Yadav Tracker

SC serves notice to Lalu, Rabri, CBI on fodder scam

New Delhi, Oct 1

The Supreme Court has issued notices to Union railway minister Lalu Prasad and Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi on a petition seeking cancellation of their bail in fodder scam cases alleging that they have been interfering with the investigation and trial.

The petition was filed by BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi and JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh. 

Laloo's daughters lost and found

22 September 2004

Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and his family had an eventful day in Kerala on Tuesday with three missing daughters actually found sitting in another car and a photographer getting slapped by one of them.

At the  Thiruvananthapuram railway station, Lalu Prasad got into a car to visit a temple but suddenly stopped and rushed to the bus carrying his children to find that three of his daughters were missing. But as it turned out, it was really a case of much ado about nothing -- news soon came in that the three were in another car.
The crowd inched forward and Bihar's first couple's daughter got so annoyed with a photographer who had been hired by local party workers and accidentally got too close that she slapped him.

Laloo allows flood relief train to leave for Assam / Bihar

15 September 2004

After a prolonged tussle between Union Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and the Youth Congress, railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav allowed a flood relief train carrying food to leave for Assam and Bihar.

The train was carrying over 6000 quintals of foodgrain. Collected by the Youth Congress, Laloo had out the brakes on the train - the ostensible reason was that he did not have the power to allow free transportation. It seems that his real reason was that he considered it Congress' one-up manship. After all, Bihar is his territory, and the foodgrain sacks had pictures of Sonia Gandhi.

Nanavati Commission Must Summon Lalu, Says BJP 

 September 7, 2004

Taking serious exception to the talk railway minister Lalu Prasad allegedly had with the assistant director of the Gujarat forensic department MS Dahiya, BJP accused Yadav of having made ‘sinister’ design to influence the probe into the Godhra train burning incident and urged the Nanavati Commission to summon the railway minister. 
"Lalu, who is also president of RJD, had called up Dahiya in Ahmedabad from his phone from Patna on June 6 and wanted Dahiya to turn up at Delhi as he wanted to hold discussion on the latter’s probe report already submitted to the Nanavati Commission on Godhra," BJP national vice-president SK Modi told a press conference. 
Quoting the inter-office memo addressed to his superior boss by Dahiya, who was part of the enquiry team probing the incident, Modi said the director general of Railway Protection Force (RPF) first phoned Dahiya in the morning of June 6 that the railway minister wanted to speak to him. 
An hour later, Lalu telephoned Dahiya asking him to come over to Delhi "and the railway ministry will make a requisition to the Gujarat government to send him over for a one-to-one talk with him," he claimed. 
"It is a vital evidence to prove that Lalu attempted to influence the inquiry," Modi said urging the Nanavati Commission to issue sommons to both Prasad and Dahiya to present their respective sides on the issue. 
Lalu’s telephone to Dahiya when he (Lalu) had made up his mind to order a parallel inquiry into the incident smacked of "conspiracy to shield the culprits." 
Charging Lalu Prasad with playing "dirty" politics by allegedly raking up fresh controversy over the Godhra incident, Modi said Lalu’s entire exercise is politically motivated with keeping eyes on the Assembly elections in Bihar due early next year. 
Describing the Centre’s decision to set up a high-level panel to probe the incident as "unconstitutional," Modi said when investigations are already on in the case, the Union cabinet’s decision is illegal. 
Prasad had said the probe panel set up by the Centre to look into the Godhra train tragedy would not overlap with the Nanavati Commission as it will specifically investigate the fire in the Sabarmati Express, which had killed 58 Ram sevaks. The probe panel set up under retired Supreme Court judge UC Banerjee has eight-point terms of reference which will ascertain the cause of fire in the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express on that fateful day in 2002, Prasad had said. 
Defending the setting up of the UC Banerjee Commission, he had said neither the railway safety commissioner nor an agency of the railways had probed the cause of the fire in the train and the person or group responsible for the fire.

High-powered panel to inquire Godhra carnage, announces Laloo Prasad Yadav 

August 27, 2004

A high-powered inquiry commission will probe the Godhara train carnage in which 49 passengers were killed in February, 2002, Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav on Friday said.

"True facts of the incident that led to communal violence in Gujarat have not come into open and the high power inquiry commission would try to unearth them," Yadav said addressing a public meeting after flagging off first passenger train on newly converted Bandikui-Bharatpur broad gauge line in Bandikui.

"A through inquiry would be held to find out who were the victims, who ignited the fire and why seven of the passengers got their reservation cancelled," he said.

Later talking to reporters Yadav criticised BJP and RSS for creating communal divisions in the country and alleged that they were fascist organisations.

Regarding BJP's decision to launch a countrywide agitation over Uma Bharti issue, he said it would be a flop show.

Laloo's 'table manners' don't amuse Somnath Chatterjee, Lok Sabha speaker

August 27, 2004

Railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav was never a man for parliamentary niceties. The RJD president, who has a penchant for courting controversy, on Thursday earned the ire of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee for his failure to table the papers listed against his name. 

Mr Yadav had left the job to his deputy, R Velu, even as he sat on the front row, surveying the House proceedings. When the latter got up to lay the papers listed against Mr Yadav’s name, the Speaker’s patience snapped. “Don’t take the House for granted. Don’t take the House lightly,” Mr Chatterjee warned the minister. 

The RJD strongman, who was immersed in his own thoughts, failed to gather the significance of Mr Chatterjee’s remarks, and had been prompted by finance minister P Chidambaram, who was sitting beside him on the front row of the seats earmarked for the treasury benches, and other leaders belonging to the ruling alliance to comply with the Speaker’s instructions. 

“I lay the table,” fumbled Mr Yadav as he hurriedly got up to lay the papers, much to the amusement of the members present in the House. The finance minister came to his rescue again, helping him with the words to be uttered. The railways minister took the hint this time, and responded by saying “......papers against my name I lay the table.” 

I wanted home ministry: Laloo Prasad Yadav

21 August 2004

On India TV's Aap ki Aadalat, Laloo Prasad Yadav says that he wanted the home ministry in the UPA government, and if that was not possible, at least the defence Ministry, but could not get either. He also said that he was not particular abut being a minister at all, and even Rabri Devi had advised him so.

Railways to hire 100,000 soon: Lalu

August 12, 2004 

Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday ruled out retrenchment of employees in railways and nationalised banks.

"There is no proposal for retrenchment of staff in railways and banks," Prasad said at a function related to power transmission project in Gaya.

Prasad said over 100,000 vacancies to different posts in railways would be filled soon. He claimed that there was a marked decline in rail accidents ever since he took over the charge of the ministry.

The railways have earned good revenue in the past 2-3 months despite no increase in the fares and freight charges, he said.

Laloo Prasad Yadav raids goods train

August 16, 2004

Amid complaints of huge loss of revenue on account of under-assessment of weights of consignments being transported by the railways, railway Minister Lalu Prasad today undertook a surprise check of a goods train coming from Mumbai at Dstation and found glaring irregularities in weighing one wagon allegedly by railway employees-transporters-consignee nexus.

Talking to reporters at Danapur near here, Laloo Prasad Yadav said he would board his ’special saloon’ to be attached with the goods train later this evening and go to Asansol where the weighing facility was available as it would take a lot of time unloading the consignments at Danapur for measuring the weight of the consignments.

Lalu Prasad Yadav said he had received complaints that the goods were being under-weighed leading to involvement of railway officials, transporters and consignees in the racket. Prasad said he had detected under-assessment of weights when the articles in one of the wagons of the goods train were unloaded at Danapur itself.

Against the capacity of 18 tonnes goods weighing 19.25tonnes was detected to have been loaded.

Prasad said overloading of goods in railway wagons was also one of the major reasons for the damage of the tracks leading to accidents.

Earlier, accompanied by the general manager of the east central railway, Laloo Prasad Yadav drove straight to Danapur station from 1 Anne Marg residence of Chief Minister Rabri Devi and ordered a thorough check of the consignments carried by the goods train.

He sat on the platform of the Danapur station throughout the day during the check-up sending the railway officials in a tizzy. He also went through the list of consignments and consignees. 

Laloo turns back late employees

August 10, 2004 

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav today carried out a surprise check at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi. Those who turned up late asked to go back and a days salary was deducted. 

More than 500 railway employees were turned back by Laloo Prasad Yadav (Lalu Prasad Yadav, if you use his official name).

Maybe Lalu is publicity-hungry, but this kind of stuff is welcome, publicity or not!

3 August 2004

Laloo supports law against tainted ministers

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has said that he will be among the first to support a new law against tainted ministers.

"I have said this even before that any person having any allegations against him, whether he is an MLA, MP or even the PM, would not stand for an election and will not hold any post," Yadav said.

"I want that the law should be made as soon as possible and my party will support it," the minister added.

Lalu Prasad Yadav is one of the Union Ministers facing criminal charges.

25 July 2005

Laloo makes light of Bihar's floods, BJP objects

The BJP took strong exception to Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's statement that floods provided poor people an opportunity to eat as much fish as they want, as they can now have fish in their houses. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi described the statement by Lalu Prasad Yadav as shameless.

14 July 2004

Laloo Prasad Yadav announces enquiry into the Godhra carnage

Railway Minister Lalu (Laloo) Prasad Yadav has struck back at NDA's attack's on him by launching a departmental enquiry into the Godhra carnage, in which several VHP activists were burnt alive in the S-6 compartment of the Sabarmati Express.

Announcing the probe yesterday in Parliament, Laloo hinted that the truth was deliberately hidden by the Narendra Modi administration. According to Laloo Prasad Yadav, the Forensic Lab report states that the fire was started inside the compartment, and that it wss not set on fire from the outside. The NDA and BJP and survivors of the fire have protested the probe, while the victims of the post-Godhra riots have welcomed it.

Comment: Shrewd political move? Maybe. But could it really be possible? Assuming that the fire was set inside the compartment, who did it? Was it some Muslims who had entered the compartment? Was it stage-managed? Is it possible to stage-manage it? 

8 July 2004

P Chidambaram gifts Laloo's Bihar a 3225 crore economic package. There are benefits to being one of the major constituents of the UPA. Some analyst on TV was heard mentioning that Bihar never manages to spend even the money that it was earlier allocated, leading it it lapsing. That will not stop Lalu (Laloo) or Rabri, of course.

7 July 2004

Lalu Prasad Yadav presents the railway budget. The budget speech is boycotted by the NDA, which is protesting his inclusion in the cabinet as he is 'tainted'. Laloo does not increase fares in any class, announces new trains - many of them for the non-paying passengers of Bihar - and offers free second class travel for central governmental job-seeking travelers. Also says that he will chuck out AH Wheeler & Co. as he thought they were English! (It is fully owned and managed by Indians, and this is the company that published  Rudyard Kipling for the first time.)

30 June

No reports so far on Lalu traveling incognito in trains, after almost a month of him announcing it.

25 June 2004

Lalu (Laloo) Prasad Yadav's plans for using earthen pots for serving tea in trains does not seem to working out well. It was supposed to provide employment to the rural poor, but they don't seem to think its any great shakes as they won't make much money out of it. The ones who are interested are the mechanized earthenware manufacturers. Sorry Lalu, good intentions are not enough.

24 June 2004

Laloo Prasad Yadav's real name is Lalu Prasad Yadav. It seems the media was responsible for mis-spelling it as Laloo. Some railway ministry officials hinted that its his adversaries who started mis-spelling his name maliciously. (Rediff)

18 June

Khadi Board plans to approach Laloo for asking him to use khadi sheets in the trains as bed spreads and blankets. Let's see.

17 June

Laloo Prasad Yadav, Railway minister, thanks local villagers for helping out and rescuing passengers in the ill-fated Matsyagandha Express. 14 died and 62 were injured in the accident. He also said that the accident was caused by boulders which fell on the tracks, due to which the driver had to brake very hard. Of course, he said this before the necessary enquiry by the Railway Safety Commissioner is complete. He could be right, but is he supposed to say so? On the other hand, if every Tom, Dick and Harry can say so on TV, why not Laloo?

13 June 2004

Railway Minister Laloo Prasad has asked the authorities to introduce joint patrolling by Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel to check rail-related crimes. 

Laloo, who inspected the Patna Junction around midnight, described things as being mismanaged.

12 June

Laloo's plan to introduce earthern pots in trains seem to make good business for potters in Kalyan, Mumbai.

11 June 2004

Laloo celebrates his 58th unofficial birthday. Real birthday, he says, no one knows as he was born to poor parents.

10 June 2004

Laloo Prasad Yadav, who was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from Chhapra and Madhepura in Bihar, has given up the Madhepura seat.

9 June 2004

Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav on Monday met Finance Minister P Chidambaram to decide on the quantum of central support for the forthcoming Railway Budget.

8 June 2004

After introducing earthern pots for tea at railway stations, Laloo Prasad Yadav has decided to introduce buttermilk for railway commuters. Actually this may make sense - more rural employment is a possibility, though that depends on who gets to make the earthern pots and buttermilk.

6 June 2004

Laloo (or Lalu) has announced that he has decided to travel incognito in trains to figure out ralway problems and service issues  problems for himself.

  lawdgawd @ yahoo.com