Lalu Prasad Yadav

Lalu Prasad Yadav addressing Yuva Janata Dal in Nayagaon, Sonpur in 1988

In 1970, Lalu entered in student politics as the general secretary of the Patna University Students' Union (PUSU), became its president in 1973,[5] joined Jai Prakash Narayan' Bihar Movement in 1974[13] where he became sufficiently close to Janata Party (JP) leaders to become the Janta alliance's winning candidate in the 1977 Lok Sabha election from Chapra at the age of 29.[5][14] In 1979, the Janata Party government fell due to in-fighting.The parliament was dissolved with new polls held in 1980. Lalu quit Janta party to join the splinter group, Janta Party-S led by Raj Narain, only to lose the re-election in 1980.He managed to win Bihar Legislative Assembly election later in 1980, and again in 1985 to become leader of opposition in Bihar assembly in 1989.Later in 1989, he was also elected for Lok Sabha under V. P. Singh government.By 1990, he positioned himself as the leader of Yadav (11.7% of the Bihar's) and lower castes.[15] Muslims, who had traditionally served as Congress (I) vote bank, shifted their support to Prasad after the 1989 Bhagalpur violence.[16] He became popular among the young voters of Bihar.[17]

In 1990, Janata Dal came to power in Bihar. PM V. P. Singh wanted former chief minister Ram Sundar Das to lead the government.[6] and Chandra Shekhar backed Raghunath Jha. To break deadlock deputy PM Devi Lal nominated Prasad as CM candidate. He was victorious in an internal poll of Janta Dal MLA's and became the chief minister. On 23 September 1990, Prasad arrested L. K. Advani at Samastipur during the latter's Ram Rath Yatra to Ayodhya,[18] which establish himself as a secular leader among the people of Bihar.[19] The World Bank lauded his party for its work in the 1990s on the economic front.[20] In 1993, Prasad adopted a pro-English policy and pushed for the re-introduction of English as a language in school curriculum, contrary to the angrezi hatao (banish English) policy of then Uttar Pradesh CM Mulayam Singh Yadav. Policy of opposition to English was considered an anti-elite policy since both the Yadav leaders represented the same social constituents - the backward castes, dalits and minority communities.[21] With the mass support of people of Bihar, Lalu continued to be Bihar CM.[6]

RJD flag

In 1997, due to allegation related to Fodder Scam, a leadership revolt surfaced in Janta Dal, consequently Lalu broke away from Janta Dal and formed a new political party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).[22] In 1998 general for 12th Lok Sabha Lalu won from Madhepura,[23] but lost in 1999 general election to Sharad Yadav.[5] In 2000 Bihar Legislative Assembly election he won and remained in opposition.[24]

In 2002, Lalu was elected in Rajya Sabha where he stayed till 2004. In 2002, RJD formed the government with Rabri Devi as the CM. Except for brief President rule and 8 days term of Nitish Kumar, RJD remained in power in Bihar till 2005.[25]

Lalu Prasad Yadav assumes the charge as Railways Minister in New Delhi on May 24, 2004

In 2004, Yadav contested general election from Chhapra and Madhepura against Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Sharad Yadav respectively and won from both the seats with a huge margin with the great support and faith of people of Bihar.[26] In total, RJD won 21 seats and it allied with Indian National Congress becoming second-largest member of UPA I after Congress. Yadav became the railway minister in the 2004 UPA Government. Later, he gave up the Madhepura seat.[27]

As railway minister, Yadav left passenger fares untouched and focused on other sources of revenue for the railways. He banned plastic cups from being used to serve tea at railway stations and replaced those with kulhars (earthen cups), in order to generate more employment in rural areas.[28] Later, he also said that he had plans to introduce buttermilk[29] and khādī.[30] In June 2004, he announced that he would get on the railway himself to inspect its problems and went on to board the Patna railway station at midnight.[31]

When he took over, the Indian Railways was a loss-making organisation.[32] In the four years under his leadership, it showed a cumulative total profit of Rs.250 billion (US$5.2 billion). According to CAG, it was the new practice of issuing a "statement of cash and investible surplus" that helped Lalu project a rosy picture.[33] In 2008, the profits shown were ₹25,000 crore (US$3.5 billion). Schools of management became interested in Yadav's leadership in managing the turnaround The alleged turnaround was introduced as a case study by the prestigious Indian Institute of Management.[34] Yadav also received invitations from eight Ivy League schools for lectures, and addressed over a hundred students from Harvard, Wharton and others in Hindi.[35]

Harvard Business School and HEC Management School, France, have shown interest in turning Lalu's experiment with the Railway into case studies for aspiring big graduates.[36]

Yadav together with Ram Vilas Paswan and Amar Singh at a party rally in Mumbai during the 2009 general elections

In November 2005 state elections RJD won 54 seats, less than both Janata Dal United (JDU) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Nitish Kumar led coalition, consisting of JD(U) and BJP, came to power. In the 2010 elections, the RJD tally was reduced to just 22 seats whereas the ruling alliance claimed a record 206 out of the 243 Assembly seats.[25]

In 2009 general election RJD won 4 seats and provided outside support to Manmohan Singh government.[37] In May 2012, Lalu Prasad Yadav envisaged Hamid Ansari, previous vice-president, as a presidential candidate.[38] In May 2013, Lalu Yadav tried to rejuvenate the party and fuel the party workers in his Parivartan Rally.[39] After the conviction in Fodder Scam on 3 October 2013, Yadav was disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha.

In 2014 general election, Lalu Yadav's RJD again won 4 seats. Lalu Yadav has been working on a merger of six parties to form a Janata Parivar.

In the 2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, Lalu Yadav's RJD became the largest party with a total of 81 seats. He along with his partner Nitish Kumar of JD(U) had the absolute majority to form a government in Bihar. This was cited as a major comeback for the RJD and for Lalu Yadav on the political stage of Bihar after a gap of 10 years. But that suffocating alliance did not last long as Nitish Kumar dumped and ousted Lalu's party from the power and alliance in July 2017 after the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation lodged several criminal cases against Lalu's son and Deputy Chief Minister, Tejashwi Yadav.[40][41]

• 1977: Elected to the 6th Lok Sabha at the age of 29.
• 1980–1989: Member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly (two terms).
• 1989: A Leader of Opposition of Bihar Legislative Assembly, Chairman of Pustakalaya Committee, Convenor of Committee on Public Undertakings. Re-elected to the 9th Lok Sabha (2nd term).
• 1990–1995: Member of the Bihar Legislative Council.
• 1990–1997: Chief Minister of Bihar
• 1995–1998: Member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
• 1996: Lalu implicated in Fodder Scam
• 1997: Splits from Janata Dal to form Rashtriya Janata Dal.
• 1998: Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (3rd term).
• 1998–1999: Member of General Purposes Committee, Committee on Home Affairs and its Sub Committee on Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme, Consultative Committee of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• 2004: Re-elected to the 14th Lok Sabha (4th term). Appointed Cabinet Minister in the Ministry of Railways in UPA govt. Lalu, wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav and daughter Misa Bharti booked for railway tender bribery scam, disproportionate illegal property and income tax evasion cases in 2017.
• 2009: Re-elected to the 15th Lok Sabha (5th term) and disqualified in 2013 subsequent to his conviction in the first fodder scam case.
• 2020: RJD declares Lalu as mahagathbandhan coordinator for Assembly polls.

Yadav has been convicted and jailed in two scams. As of January 2018, he, his wife, his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, and his daughter Misa Bharti were all facing charges in several other corruption cases.[45][46]

Yadav was an accused party and later convicted in the first Fodder Scam case of 1996. The case involved the siphoning off of about ₹ 4.50 billion ($111.85 million) from the animal husbandry department.[47]

Several allegations of embezzlement from the animal husbandry department were tabled between 1990–95. In January 1996, a raid conducted on Chaibasa treasury indicated the siphoning off of funds by non-existent companies. Yadav ordered an inquiry to probe the irregularities. However, after a public interest litigation, the Bihar High Court in March 1996 ordered the case to be handed over to the CBI.[48] In June 1997, the CBI filed the charge sheet in the case and made Yadav an accused. The charge forced Yadav to resign from the office of Chief Minister, at which time he appointed his wife, Rabri Devi, to the office.[22]

In 2001, the Supreme Court of India transferred the scam cases to newly-formed court in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The trial began in 2002. In August 2013, Yadav tried to get the trial court judge transferred, but his plea was rejected by Supreme Court of India. Yadav has been an accused in many of the 53-odd cases filed. He has been remanded to custody on multiple occasions because of the number of cases. Over 64 people were convicted in the case.[49][50] Yadav was first sent to "Judicial remand" (Bihar Military Police guest house, Patna) on 30 July 1997, for 134 days.[51][52] On 28 October 1998, he was again sent to the same guest house for 73 days. When the Supreme Court took exception to his guest house stay, he had also moved to the Beur jail in Patna. On 26 November 2001, Yadav was again remanded, in a case related to the fodder scam.[53] Yadav accused the NDA of creating a conspiracy against him. On 1 October 2004, the Supreme Court served a notice to Yadav and his wife in response to a petition which alleged that they have been interfering with the investigation.

Yadav, along with 44 other accused, was convicted on 30 September 2013 after being found guilty in fraudulent withdrawal of ₹ 37 crores (₹ 370 million) from Chaibasa treasury.[54] Several other politicians, IAS officers were also convicted in the case.[54] Immediately after the verdict was pronounced, Yadav was arrested and taken to Birsa Munda Central Jail, located at Ranchi.[54] Yadav was disqualified as MP for six years.[55] He was given a jail sentence of five years and a fine of 25 lakh rupees.[56]

He was released on bail from Birsa Munda Central Jail, after he completed the bail formalities in a Special CBI court, two-and-a-half months after his conviction.[57]

In 1998, a disproportionate assets case arising out of the fodder scam was registered against Yadav and Rabri Devi.[58] In April 2000, both were made co-accused in the charge-sheet and surrendered. While Rabri Devi got bail due to being Chief Minister of Bihar, Yadav was remanded in Beur jail for 11 days.[51] They were acquitted in 2006. The Bihar government wanted to appeal against the acquittal but the Supreme Court in 2010 ruled that the state government can not challenge such rulings.[59]

Yadav was convicted and jailed in the second Fodder Scam case of INR8.927 million[60] on the same day 23 December 2017 when his daughter Misa Bharti was also charged by the Enforcement Directorate of having disproportionate assets.[61][62][63] Yadav was convicted 23 December 2017 and sentenced on 6 January 2018 to 3½ years' imprisonment and INR1,000,000 fine) for the fraudulent withdrawal of INR8,900,000 from the Deoghar district treasury between 1990 and 1994.

This case, pertaining to scamming INR356.2 million scammed from the Chaibasa tresury of West Singhbhum district,[64]

Yadav was convicted by the special CBI court in the fourth fodder scam case relating to alleged withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from the Dumka district treasury over two decades ago.[65] CBI Judge awarded him two separate sentences of seven years each under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Acts.[66]

This case, pertaining to the scamming of INR1.84 billion from the Doranda tresary in Ranchi, is still pending in the Special CBI Court (c. Jan 2018).[67][60]

2005 Indian Railway tender scam, investigated by the CBI, is the bribery and corruption case where Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family are charged for illegally receiving prime property from the bidder as a bribe for corruptly awarding the Railway tender during Yadav's tenure as Railway Minister.[45] Transfer of these properties as bribe to Yadav and his children were disguised using the shell companies; for example, wife Rabri Devi and three children, Misa Bharti, Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, received Saguna Mor Mall property worth INR 45 crore through a shell company named Delight Marketing (renamed as Lara properties), and another shell company AB Exports was used to transfer properties worth INR 40 crore for a price of INR 4 lakh to Lalu's other three children Tejashwi Yadav, Ragini and Chanda.[68][69] This case spawned several other related but independent cases, such as disproportionate assets case as well as tax avoidance case by ED.[45] Under the Benami Transactions Prohibition Act recipient of such benami properties can be imprisoned for up to 7 years and fined up to 25% fair market value, and convicted politicians are barred from contesting elections or holding elected position for six years.[68]

Investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), against Yadav, his wife, son Tejashwi, daughter Misa and others, arose from the alleged illegal proceeds of the 2005 Indian Railway tender scam.[45] The I-T department issued summons for 12 June 2017 to Misa Bharti, over Benami land deals worth Rs. 10 billion.[63] Misa was officially charged by ED in disproportionate assets case on the same day her father was convicted again in the second fodder scam.[62] After the CBI lodged an FIR on 5 July 2017, ED filed the Case Information Report (ECIR) on 27 July 2017 against Lalu, his wife Rabri, their younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and others in the railways tender corruption and ill-gotten property scam that happened during Lalu's tenure as the Railway Minister.[45] Taking action against this scam, ED of Income Tax Department on 12 September 2017 attached more than 12 properties in Patna and Delhi including the plot for the mall in Patna, a farm house in Delhi and up-market land in Palam Vihar in Delhi.[45] This includes the transfer of INR450 million (45 crore) Seguna mor benami property transferred to Lalu's wife Rabri Devi and children Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav by using a shell company named Delight Properties, which was later renamed as Lara Properties.[69] (Updated: 7 Jan 2018)

AB Exports was a shell company used to transfer, as a bribe for the railway tender scam, INR400 million (40 crore) benami property for a mere price of INR400,000 to Lalu's 3 children Tejashwi Yadav, Ragini Yadav and Chanda Singh.[68] ED has attached this property and booked the 3 accused children of Lalu.[68] (Updated: 7 Jan 2018)

2017 Patna zoo soil scam is an allegation/case against Lalu Prasad Yadav and his sons Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejaswi Yadav for the "gross irregularities" of selling soil from the construction of Tej Pratap's Saguna Mor mall basement. The bogus beautification scheme was for Rs 90 lakh to Patna zoo without inviting any tenders when Tej Pratap was the minister of environment and forest in Bihar, a department that controls the zoo. The scam came to the light in April 2017, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in Patna High Court in October 2017, court ordered the Bihar government to furnish the details of investigation, following which the case was handed over to Bihar Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB) department for the investigation under the Pollution Control Board Act, the Environment Protection Act and Wildlife Protection Act (1972) (update: 6 Jan 2018).[70][71]

The Bihar government said that official procedure was duly followed in the case and prima facie no evidence of irregularity has come into light in zoo soil deal. (Updated: 31 May 2020)[72]

Yadav is one of the first noted politicians to lose parliamentary seat on being arrested in fodder scam as per Supreme Court decision banning convicted legislators to hold their posts.[73] During his tenure as Chief Minister, Bihar's law and order was at lowest, kidnapping was on rise and private armies mushroomed.[74] He was criticised in 2002 as his supporters lifted cars, furniture from showrooms in Patna to be used in wedding of his daughter.[75][76]

• A writer named Neena Jha has written a book on Lalu Prasad named Lalu Prasad, India's miracle.[79]
• Book named Laloo Prasad Yadav: A Charismatic Leader was published in 1996.[80]
• "The Making of Laloo Yadav, The Unmaking of Bihar", updated and reprinted under the title "Subaltern Sahib: Bihar and the Making of Laloo Yadav", is a book based on Lalu's life by Sankarshan Thakur.[81][82]

• Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav, the Bollywood movie was released in 2005. It was based on a girl named Padmshree, her boyfriend Laloo, her lawyer Prasad and Yadav was Lalu Prasad himself as a special appearance.[83][84]
• Upcoming Bhojpuri film Lalten is a biopic based on the life of Lalu Prasad.[85]