Lalu Prasad caught 'fishing' in troubled flood waters

krsna · July 24, 2004

Lalu caught 'fishing' in troubled flood waters

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2004 03:50:10 AM ]

NEW DELHI: When PM Manmohan Singh takes off for an aerial survey of flood-ravaged Bihar, his cabinet colleague and RJD boss Lalu Prasad may well regard it as a waste of time.

Not one to follow the beaten track, Lalu has turned conventional wisdom on its head, because he sees flood waters enveloping half of Bihar as a blessing rather than a misfortune.

Singh's aerial survey plan was announced on Wednesday. But just 24 hours earlier, the railway minister made light of the problems faced by flood victims, saying the rising waters actually provide an opportunity to poor people to eat as much fish as they want.

In his inimitable style, Lalu held an audience of media persons spellbound for almost an hour, describing with a 'gamcha' (towel) in hand, how, thanks to floods, the poor catch fish of all variety which otherwise remain confined to ponds owned by the rich.

In normal times, Lalu explained, many people can't even dream of relishing rare and delicious fish, conjuring a vision of the poor being suddenly able to partake undreamt of culinary delights.

Lalu did point out he had stopped eating not only fish but all non-vegetarian food including eggs, after Lord Shiva appeared in his dreams during a rough phase in his life and asked him to exercise gastronomical restraint.