03-28-2009, 09:09 PM
<b>Come poll, Brahmins turn âgodsâ for Lalu</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Patna, March 27: Lalu Prasad is stooping to conquer â red tilak streaking his forehead, the Bihar strongman yesterday asked son Tejpratap to touch the feet of Brahmins.
Himself hugging the Brahmin Mahasabha members gathered at his Circular Road home, the RJD boss murmured:<b> âBrahmins are treated as gods in India. No one can become king without their blessings.â</b>
It is to become king â or powerful kingmaker â that Lalu Prasad has turned to a community he made a career of putting down.
Sensing the pro-Sonia Gandhi mood of the Brahmins, the RJD chief reassured his guests: âManmohan Singh is our Prime Minister. We are in the UPA and will remain in the UPA after the polls.â
<b>The Brahmin leaders were happy. âLalu Prasad may sound rough, rustic and foul-mouthed but he has a clean heart. Nitish Kumar, who sounds decent, has let the Brahmins down. We will do Durga path and yagnas to ensure Lalu Prasadâs victory. We have come to bless him,â Mahasabha chief Birendra Pandey,</b> said.
Other members shouted: âJai ho (Be victorious)â.
Like Mayavati in the 2007 elections, Lalu Prasadâs turnaround on Brahmins is being seen as a âmasterstrokeâ.
Lalu Prasad became chief minister replacing Congress stalwart Jagannath Mishra, a Maithil Brahmin, in 1990. His rise was said to have heralded a new era of âsocial justiceâ replacing the âBrahminical orderâ.
<b>When he captured power riding the backward class movement, he had declared a Dalit, Ramai Ram, a âshankaracharyaâ and called for burning the Vedas and the shastras.</b>
Now, however, the MY (Muslim-Yadav) axis that ensured Lalu Prasadâs victory in past years with support from other backward groups needs reinforcement, after the extremely backwards classes moved over to Nitish Kumarâs side.
Brahmins, who traditionally supported the Congress before switching sides to the Vajpayee-led NDA, are again tilting towards Soniaâs party.
The JD(U) has not given a single ticket to Brahmins who make up over 7 per cent of the stateâs population, and ally BJP has not compensated. Even Mishra, the three-time chief minister now with Nitish, has been denied a ticket.
<b>Lalu Prasad this week called on Mishra. âA poor Brahmin, Sudama had called on Lord Krishna. Today, Krishna-roopi (Yadavs are seen as Krishnaâs descendants) Lalu is going to Sudama (Jagannath). We will bless him,â </b>said Mahasabha member Mudit Pandey.
The buzz is that Lalu Prasad is trying to persuade Mishra to contest against Sharad Yadav in Madhepura. The RJD-LJP combine has already fielded three Brahmins.
The NDA appears rattled by Lalu Prasadâs move.
<b>âLalu Prasad is stooping too low. He has been known as the messiah of the backward class movement. Now, he is touching the Brahmins feet. Everyone knows Laluâs Brahmin love is ephemeral,â </b>a JD(U) general secretary said.
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Himself hugging the Brahmin Mahasabha members gathered at his Circular Road home, the RJD boss murmured:<b> âBrahmins are treated as gods in India. No one can become king without their blessings.â</b>
It is to become king â or powerful kingmaker â that Lalu Prasad has turned to a community he made a career of putting down.
Sensing the pro-Sonia Gandhi mood of the Brahmins, the RJD chief reassured his guests: âManmohan Singh is our Prime Minister. We are in the UPA and will remain in the UPA after the polls.â
<b>The Brahmin leaders were happy. âLalu Prasad may sound rough, rustic and foul-mouthed but he has a clean heart. Nitish Kumar, who sounds decent, has let the Brahmins down. We will do Durga path and yagnas to ensure Lalu Prasadâs victory. We have come to bless him,â Mahasabha chief Birendra Pandey,</b> said.
Other members shouted: âJai ho (Be victorious)â.
Like Mayavati in the 2007 elections, Lalu Prasadâs turnaround on Brahmins is being seen as a âmasterstrokeâ.
Lalu Prasad became chief minister replacing Congress stalwart Jagannath Mishra, a Maithil Brahmin, in 1990. His rise was said to have heralded a new era of âsocial justiceâ replacing the âBrahminical orderâ.
<b>When he captured power riding the backward class movement, he had declared a Dalit, Ramai Ram, a âshankaracharyaâ and called for burning the Vedas and the shastras.</b>
Now, however, the MY (Muslim-Yadav) axis that ensured Lalu Prasadâs victory in past years with support from other backward groups needs reinforcement, after the extremely backwards classes moved over to Nitish Kumarâs side.
Brahmins, who traditionally supported the Congress before switching sides to the Vajpayee-led NDA, are again tilting towards Soniaâs party.
The JD(U) has not given a single ticket to Brahmins who make up over 7 per cent of the stateâs population, and ally BJP has not compensated. Even Mishra, the three-time chief minister now with Nitish, has been denied a ticket.
<b>Lalu Prasad this week called on Mishra. âA poor Brahmin, Sudama had called on Lord Krishna. Today, Krishna-roopi (Yadavs are seen as Krishnaâs descendants) Lalu is going to Sudama (Jagannath). We will bless him,â </b>said Mahasabha member Mudit Pandey.
The buzz is that Lalu Prasad is trying to persuade Mishra to contest against Sharad Yadav in Madhepura. The RJD-LJP combine has already fielded three Brahmins.
The NDA appears rattled by Lalu Prasadâs move.
<b>âLalu Prasad is stooping too low. He has been known as the messiah of the backward class movement. Now, he is touching the Brahmins feet. Everyone knows Laluâs Brahmin love is ephemeral,â </b>a JD(U) general secretary said.
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