Workers of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and their supporters looked charged on Friday when party supremo Lalu Prasad arrived in Patna after a gap of nine months. RJD MLAs made a beeline to meet the party supremo at 10, Circular Road residence, the official residence of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi.
Mr. Prasad, who landed at Patna airport at 3.20 p.m., was accompanied by his younger son and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. From the airport, he directly went to the residence, where he was welcomed with slogans such as “Lalu Yadav jindabad” and “Bihar ka sher laut aaya (Bihar’s lion has returned)”.
Satendra Kumar Rai, 70, rode a bicycle from Hajipur in Vaishali district, covering a distance of 30 km to reach the airport. “I have formed my party called Lalu Sena and visit Laluji wherever he goes. For me, he is god and I can’t return without meeting him.”
Mr. Rai’s bicycle sported several wooden planks bearing messages like “Lalu nahi yah andhi hai” and “Yeh ka dusra Gandhi hai”. A bamboo pole, bearing the party flag and a lalten (hurricane lamp), also adorned the cycle.
Mr. Prasad’s visit had drawn out other such hardcore supporters as well. One man was seen holding a framed photo of the party leader while waiting to greet him. “I have just come here to enquire about the health of Laluji and extend my best wishes to him. He is the messiah of poor people who gave voice to the downtrodden in society,” Prateek Kumar, a Patna resident, said.
Some of the supporters distributed sweets among the visitors and passersby.
Shivanand Tiwary, national vice-president of RJD, was among those waiting at the Circular Road residence to receive Mr. Prasad. “It is really a moment of celebration that the party supremo has returned to Bihar after a long gap. His presence in his own State gives another level of energy to RJD workers and supporters,” he said.
Mr. Prasad will be in Patna for the next one week before going to Singapore for a post-kidney transplant check-up. Sources said that during his stay in Patna, he is likely to hold a series of meetings,including with partners of the grand alliance.
RJD MLA Bhai Birendra before going inside the Rabri’s residence said, “The BJP leaders are in panic now after the arrival of Laluji in Patna. [As long as he is in Bihar,] the saffron leaders would be suffocating. He is here to meet his well-wishers and also to plan the strategy to unite the Opposition at national level.”
Later in the evening, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also called on Mr. Prasad at his Circular Road residence. In the closed-door meeting that followed, Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary was also present. However, Mr. Kumar did not speak to the media after the meeting.
Sources said that Mr. Prasad appreciated the Chief Minister for taking the lead in uniting the Opposition and assured him that he would extend full support wherever required. It is believed that Mr. Prasad played a pivotal role in Mr. Kumar’s meeting with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
On the other hand, BJP State unit president Samrat Choudhary said that Mr. Prasad’s presence in Bihar will not make any difference.
