A costly miss for Lalu

The last Cabinet meeting was a big miss for Railway Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. While he was away in Bihar preparing for 8216;Chhath8217; puja, his competitor in Bihar politics, Ramvilas Paswan, made the most of his absence. At the Cabinet meeting, during which the attacks on north Indians in Mumbai was discussed prominently, Paswan grabbed all the credit by championing the cause of Biharis. The next day, after Lalu realised he had lost out on a good opportunity, it is said that he telephoned Paswan and congratulated him for the 8220;good job8221;. Paswan is said to have replied: 8220;I had told you to take the afternoon flight from Patna and reach Delhi for the meeting. Together we could have raised the issue more forcefully.8221;