Lalu at his best

Lalu Prasad’s party is reduced to just four MPs in the Lok Sabha, but the political drubbing has not robbed Prasad of his rustic humour, which he uses to convey political messages. Participating in a debate, Prasad, who didn’t get any ministerial berth even after offering “unconditional support” to the Congress, tried to remind the Congress brass how he had helped them in the past. “For 10 years, I was the freelancer for the Congress party in Bihar,” Prasad said amidst peels of laughter. Soon, he started warning Sonia Gandhi about the vices of a coterie in the Congress. “There are TTMs in your party. TTM means tabatod tel maalish karne waale,” the former Railway Minister quipped even as Gandhi started laughing. “These people will ruin your party.” Later, he didn’t spare the BJP bench. Looking at Sushma Swaraj, who is a strong supporter of the Women’s Reservation Bill, Prasad asked, “Sushmaji, you want women’s reservation. But have you thought that if more women come, you will lose your importance in the Lok Sabha?”