Lalu's plan scuppered

Animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has poured cold water on Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad's plan to lead a procession of 1,000 horse carts, known locally as Tum Tum, to reach out to the poorest of the poor ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls, scheduled later this year. Peta said besides being cruel to the horses that were supposed to be used, the move was also against the 2012 advisory of the Election Commission that barred political parties from using animals for political campaigns. Ideal for the state's dusty and rough interiors, Lalu's Tum Tums were meant to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party's high-tech raths deployed for campaigning.