Laloo is Gandhi II and wife Rajmata at rally of lathis

‘‘Even Gandhi could not stop communalists, but Laloo will,’’ former minister Illiyas Hussain said. The familiar Laloo rhetoric tore into BJP’s nationalist claims, gave graphic description of how children and women were killed in the Gujarat riots, narrated how Vajpayee had collaborated with the British and how he is trying to now ‘‘sell the nation to Bush.’’

Laloo elaborated why he did not want Savarkar’s photo in Parliament. ‘‘Who is gentleman, lok puchenge,’’ Laloo switches to English in between, ‘‘it will be embarrassing for the nation.’’ But it is not his discourse on fascism and American imperialism that strike with the public. So Laloo called local leaders by name through the mike and asked them to control their supporters. ‘‘Mukeshji, I will give tickets to those who behave,’’ he warned an over-enthusiastic leader.

Laloo got the railings on the stage broken to allow people a better view of himself. He stood up and aimed at a low-flying plane with his lathi, gesturing to shoot it. He obliged photographers one second by posing with his lathi and then waved the lathi at them. ‘‘Now Bihar’s own Veerappan will speak to you,’’ Laloo introduced R S MP Vijay Singh Yadav, who sports a long moustache.

He spotted Imam Bharti, a poet he had met only once in Champaran, among the crowd and called him to the stage for a performance. He did not disappoint Laloo. “Laloo bhiaya ko Delhi lejayenge hum,” he sang and Laloo tried to look disinterested. After all he should look like Gandhi today. E

ven while lambasting the Narendra Modi politics, Laoo took a leaf out of his book. Laloo and Siwanand Tiwari – another prominent speaker of the day –invoked ‘‘Bihari pride’’ in their speeches.

‘‘The BJP is insulting Bihar by creating an image of being violent, uneducated, underdeveloped and backward. I challenge them to bring this big a crowd to Patna and then talk about such issues,’’ said Tiwari. Laloo too invoked regionalism, saying he will not let ‘‘a single drop of Bihar’s water to be taken away to the Kaveri delta,’’ taking a jibe at the river linking project.

For those who came from the remote areas, the rally was sightseeing and a carnival. Even before Laloo and Rabri Devi rolled in their Garib Chetna Rath to the venue around 2.30, people had started leaving the place.

‘‘We have heard him several times. So we are leaving,’’ explained Mithilesh Kumar from Suryagarha. Some thought that they could meet the CM and give petitions. They struggled unsuccessfully to reach near the stage with torn sheets of paper in hand.