Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, you would assume, has plenty of problems on his plate. And we aren’t even talking of the “people-friendly gravy train” he has to roll out this month-end.
In Maharashtra, Raj Thackeray is a doing a Bal Thackeray. From Assam to Karnataka, competitive chauvinism is putting a spoke in the Bihari railway recruitment wheel. The muse has deserted the master of the bon mot (above). With Nitish Kumar sending his partymen to canvass for Hillary Clinton, Lalu has to despatch Rabri Devi to do duty for Barack Obama (just kidding).
You could assume, but you could be wrong. Because, what really gets the son of the soil hot and het up in the midst of all this is, well, a cold lunch.
According to a report in The Hindu today, the rail mantri‘s one-day trip to Bangalore on Monday has resulted in the careers of three senior railway officials being cruelly derailed. Reason: the three were seen to have failed to take proper care of the VIP, i.e. they served Lalu cold aloo. The minister was in town to inaugurate a renovated railway station (Yeshvanthpur), flag off of an extended train service (Ajmer-Mysore), attend to a function (Tumkur) and a Yadava convention (Chitradurga).
“During his hectic one-day visit… the Minister did not have time to have lunch and when the food was served in his special train on his way back to Bangalore, he found it served cold… A senior railway official denies the food served was cold, saying it was prepared at the General Manager’s carriage attached to the special train.”
So, the Bangalore divisional railway manager Mahesh Mangal, the senior divisional commercial manager Anwar Hussain, and the Indian railway catering and tourism corporation area manager Suresh Chandra have been shunted out to Bhubaneswar, Mysore and Lucknow respectively.
Cartoon: PRAKASH SHETTY
Tags: Barack Obama, Churumuri, Hillary Clinton, Kannadigas, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mahesh Mangal, Nitish Kumar, Prakash Shetty, Rabri Devi, Railway Minister
14 February 2008 at 4:40 pm
Churumuri,
I expected you to write something about the derogatory comments made by Laloo against Kannadigas instead of this dull story.
14 February 2008 at 6:58 pm
What a magnificent cartoon by Prakash. In a few lines and strokes it summarises KRV’s hypocrisy.
14 February 2008 at 7:11 pm
His attitude reminds one of our former British overseers. Another reason why anyone wanting to do well for themselves and serve the nation should avoid government and public sector jobs.
14 February 2008 at 8:26 pm
The media is giving undue coverage to this buffoon from bihar. It is high time they stopped doing this.
14 February 2008 at 9:39 pm
Tigers Whiskers Ultimate
Really! I think your sense of humor is warped, mate:)
14 February 2008 at 10:14 pm
I am surprised at the mild to very mild reaction from Churumuri Readers / Karnataka Polticians / citizens’ intellectuals/ those fighting for classical language /URA/ G. Karnad / Dejagow /HSK that an idiot gets away calling Kannadigas ‘dirty People’ in Karnataka!.What are you all doing Guys? Show him his place!Self respect is more important than double line, classical language etc.
While I am not for breast-beating, I feel even a guest has a responsibility of how to behave when he is in host’s people.He is an ‘A’ class baffoon , who is getting away still eating the ‘Fodder’.He wouldn’t have got away in any other State in India for making remarks like that.When will we learn?
14 February 2008 at 10:23 pm
Sorry, DB. Unfortunately, the outfit you so admire, the KRV, is going to be the bane of Kannada and Kannadigas.
15 February 2008 at 12:22 am
Wasnt Lalu’s son in law employed by Infosys? Did he learn about kannadigas being dirty from there?
Given a chance, Lalu and his ilk would love to use their strength in numbers to overrun the whole of Karnataka.
15 February 2008 at 8:58 am
Sanghamitra has been made 6 days a week and Bagmati on Saturdays and Muzzafarpur on Wednesdays! What is in Lalooji’s head? Hopefully no more trains to Bangalore from Patna or else Khatta rifles will be ubiquitous and the gang wars of Purnea will be faught in the streets of Bangalore which is already happening as I gather? One hopes Bangalore does not get any more new connections to chappra !It is only natural that chappra is going to be the enxt station to be linked to bangalore!
15 February 2008 at 7:10 pm
ERR,
Exactly! In fact KRV has already shows its fury by attacking the offices and damaging the ‘infrastructure’. But then again, Laloo has always been a joker and the parties who indulge him are even greater jokers!!
15 February 2008 at 8:36 pm
We can’t live without Tamil channels at home.
We can’t stop admiring ‘Style king’ Rajni.
We can’t even support those who protested against lalu’s ‘dirty’ remarks…
Seriously, we should stop crying about kannada, how ‘kannada’ is dying in Bangaluru etc. We can’t have it both ways, can we?
15 February 2008 at 9:24 pm
Pulakeshi says: In a few lines and strokes it summarises KRV’s hypocrisy.
No it doesnt. Laloo represents the Railway Ministry, a part of the Central Govt of India. In effect he represents the Govt in Power or clearly the GoI. Compared to that, KRV is no way affiliated with the GoI or the GoKarnataka. Hell, they are not even elected by a body or people to make them representative of them. Just how is KRV calling Laloo the same as Laloo calling Kannadigas as dirty now begs the question.
As an individual, I have a right to call Laloo anything. A group of us can call Laloo anything we want. But it becomes a problem if the Chief Minister calls Laloo “Dirty”. Do you get the point? Now since I have clarified the monumental difference between KRV and Laloo, now tell me what is the hypocracy.
15 February 2008 at 10:43 pm
T. Shetty,
And who do you think watches the tamil channels and rajni?
With the number of biharis etc. migrating to Bangalore, wont be far away when Lalu can come and give his insulting speeches on MG road.
16 February 2008 at 6:38 am
Anony, the picture says it all. “YOU started it”. If I’m not correct, correct the cartoon!!
18 February 2008 at 4:31 pm
It’s apt that Laa loo is the railway minister. The toilets in our trains stink
19 February 2008 at 7:32 pm
Notwithstanding the denials by the poor railway officials, I am sure every Kannadiga’s heart is warmed by the “cold” treatment he got. Jab tak rahega samosa main aloo, tab tak rahega Bihar main Lalu? Agar alu hotha hai thanda, lalu banjatha hai bhalu.
19 February 2008 at 10:43 pm
Velu got away with his mushandi remarks. Now Lalu denies he called Kannadigas a dirty people, instead of apologising for his lack of judgment.
The KRV has shown no better judgment. Narayana Gowda is reported to have said that he is willing to try terrorist tactics to save Kannada. Would New Delhi need any more encouragement to keep the state under the President’s rule if the KRV tries to make good on its threat?
19 February 2008 at 10:46 pm
SumneNeeve–
Thanks for the clarification. Now hypocrisy has been compounded with downright idiocy. The Biharis will be deported by the KRV. How are they going to be identified? Why must we follow the Shiv Sena rakshasa model? We will do well to remember that the Sena people inflicted violence on Kannadigas in the seventies, calling them Madrasis.
20 February 2008 at 1:47 pm
Dear Sir:
What is your honest assessment of the KRV as you have observed it in the last so many years? What is your honest feeling? Do you think that they will keep growing or will just stagnate as a vigilante army? Or will they grow and go from strength to strength? Do you argee with the methods used by KRV?
Just liked to know.
20 February 2008 at 2:57 pm
recently, the Education conducted census of children and teachers were posted for this duty. Many have bad experiences where in many houses people from other parts of the country are unwilling to cooperate for the census work and their reply was ‘not required for them’ apart from slammin the doors on the enumeraorss face. This is how people from other places supposed tobe educated are behaving in Bangalore and it appears tobe their ‘civilian’ way of living
20 February 2008 at 11:56 pm
This is a question meant for Pullikeshi the Last.
21 February 2008 at 9:57 pm
The Shetty Hot Owner:
The KRV is a rogue organization, accountable to no one.
It practises vigilantism, the opposite of responsible behavior.
It won’t think twice before hurting Kannadigas if its political bosses or whoever is behind this ragtag band so orders.
Particularly at election time, KRV operatives will act as goondas for corrupt politicians. The Vedike itself cannot morph into a legal, enlightened, civil political party.
It practices violence. Look at all those reports about it destroying office furniture. If a snake enters our house, it does not make sense to burn it down.
The Vedike is a collection of illiterate elements. If it cannot get Kannadigas to offer it intellectual respect, what good is it to us?
Kannada and Kannadigas are in trouble, but the Vedike’s simple minded programs cannot make a dent in our situation.
Without help from Vidhanasoudha and Parliament, no pro-Kannada movement can succeed.
For any meaningful change, a practical agenda is needed:
Get the bureaucrats to speak Kannada. Have them learn about our culture.
Make Kannada the true official language of the state.
Get our MPs, MLAs and MLCs to show they have at least rudimentary minds.
Give competent, educated Kannadigas the feeling they can survive in their own naadu.
Fight corruption and not profit by it.
So much for now. I am waiting for the beginning.
26 February 2008 at 11:01 pm
An excellent analysis of the KRV’s lack of preparedness for anything immediately constructive is presented in the latest issue of ourkarnataka.com. I would urge everybody to take a look at it.