Lalu celebrates, but RJD is bitter

NEW DELHI: Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has celebrated his 60th birthday in great style, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and VVIPs in attendance, but his Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is not happy.

Lalu Prasad's high-profile birthday Monday coincided with the conclusion of a two-day meeting of RJD's National Executive. It is the first time it was held in the Indian capital and not in Patna, the party's main stronghold.

Away from the 'qawwali', folk dances and 'kavi sammelans' at Lalu Prasad's 25 Tughlak Road residence, however, there was not much to cheer as RJD leaders - who come mainly from rural areas and small towns - voiced their anger against economic reforms.

At least one RJD veteran, union Minister of State for Human Resources Development M.A.A. Fatmi, even publicly questioned the wisdom of shifting RJD's "political base" to Delhi.

Speaking on the party's political resolution Sunday, Fatmi thundered that RJD would not shine in Delhi "if there is no light in our home". It was an obvious reference to Bihar.

Another RJD leader, who did not want to be identified by name, added: "Our strength lies in Patna. Without that, we have no strength in Delhi. If we have any (national) ambition as a party, we have to first strengthen ourselves in Bihar."

RJD parliamentary party deputy leader Devendra Prasad Yadav criticised the party's approach of endorsing "anything and everything being pushed" by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the economic front.

He got a political resolution passed that was directly critical of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy of the government.

The resolution demanded a categorical commitment from the government that the authorities would not acquire any fertile cultivable land.

Interestingly, it is RJD leader and Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh who has played a key role in formulating the SEZ policy.

Devendra Yadav also sought major steps to protect the minorities, a stand enthusiastically supported by Bihar RJD chief Abdul Bari Siddiqui.

Both leaders were worked up about fake encounters of "innocent Muslims" in BJP-ruled states as well.

And Devendra Yadav added that the central government had "certain responsibility towards protecting the life and property of all Indians".

But none of the despondency at the RJD gathering was reflected at Lalu Prasad's bash, where his enthusiastic cheerleaders also described the party meet as a great move that marks their leader's "arrival" in Delhi.

"It was Laluji's birthday. We were just enjoying ourselves. You think this was any occasion for anything serious?" asked a RJD leader.

As for Lalu Prasad, he enjoyed every moment of the partying and the attention paid to him.

Present at the party were his family members and the Who's Who of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), including the prime minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Also gracing the occasion were Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who might well become the next president of India, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar, union Minority Affairs Minister A.R. Antulay and several other ministers besides an army of RJD leaders from all over the country.

His wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi was all smiles.

As for Lalu Prasad, someone remembered that he had once said that he does not even know when he was born. "I really don't know my birthday. We are simple village folk; our parents have no means to keep such records. At the time of passing high school, whatever the school teacher wrote down as our date of birth is our birthday."