Aloo politics

Railway minister Lalu Prasad is an unhappy man these days because the Supreme Court has stayed the lifting of ban on Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Earlier, a special tribunal had revoked the central government’s order seeking extension of the ban on the outfit, and Lalu was quick to express his pleasure with the decision. SIMI was an organisation of innocent boys, he said. At least, they were as innocent as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteers. If at all a ban is to be imposed, he said, both RSS and SIMI must come under its purview.Perceived to be minority-friendly, the SIMI issue seemed to have given Lalu a long-lost opportunity to placate Muslims. More so, as some opponents of the Indo-US nuclear deal had recently tried to provoke Muslims by saying that deal was “anti-Muslim”. Also, lately, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader is seen spending more time (at least on television) in defending the UPA government rather than pursuing his own brand of politics.But whatever his critics might say, Lalu knows best when to hog the limelight with catchy phrases and slogans. Not too long ago, a unique political symbol was used to define his importance in Bihar. Aloo (potato), rhyming with Lalu, was used to coin a slogan: “Jab tak rahega samose mein aloo, tab tak rahega Bihar mein Lalu” (as long as samosa continues to be stuffed with aloo, Bihar will be ruled by Lalu).Alas! Rising inflation seems to have kept aloo beyond the reach of samosa-wallahs, ruining whatever chances Lalu had of making a comeback in Bihar. And just when he thought an opportunity had come his way, the apex court’s stay order on SIMI ban has dampened all his expectations. However, knowing Lalu’s acumen, it won’t take him long to invent a new slogan or catch phrase glorifying himself once again.