Gift from the gab

A group of 20-odd labourers engaged in construction work at Rail Bhavan got the shock of their lives when Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav called them to his office last week. Petrified at being summoned by the minister, the migrant workers from Jhansi were, however, in for a surprise. In an extremely gregarious mood, Lalu engaged in small talk with them, asking them about their homes and families, even lifting some of the children into his lap. The Santa Claus act went further: Lalu ordered his mandarins to dig into the Railways8217; coffers and gift Rs 2,000 each to all the guests.