Laloo146;s tracks

As Laloo Prasad Yadav commences his journey as the country8217;s Union railway minister 8212; a journey he half-seriously hopes will take him 8220;one day8221; to 7, Race Course 8212; he has just signalled his intention of working for the good of the entire country 8212; 8220;north, south, east and west8221;. However, the very fact that both he and Ram Vilas Paswan attempted a great deal of arm-twisting to land that much-prized portfolio is cause enough for a healthy scepticism on that score.

We will have to wait to see whether the Indian Railways is destined to become the Bihar Railways. What is of immediate concern, however, is the fact that the rail mantri seems to have allowed some extremely dubious characters to board his train to New Delhi. The country is now to be saddled with ministers like Mohammed Taslimuddin, thanks to the RJD supremo8217;s unstinted support of him. This was the man whose appointment as minister of state for home in 1996 had made the very upright Indrajit Gupta 8212; the then home minister of the Union 8212; threaten resignation. Gupta8217;s refusal to compromise on the issue ensured that the country was spared the administrative talents of a man facing charges on a long and bizarre list of crimes, including assault, dacoity, attempt to murder, molestation and the like. Today, eight years later, the same man has been sworn in as minister of state for heavy industries and public enterprises.

This appointment would not have taken place if Laloo Prasad Yadav had not pushed Taslimuddin8217;s case with great force in the backrooms of power. Taslimuddin8217;s ascension speaks as much of a Congress High Command very much in the thrall of its 8220;coalitional dharma8221;, as it does of Laloo Prasad Yadav8217;s curiously amoral brand of politics. In the process, he has compromised the image of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh8217;s ministry 8212; a most unfortunate development given the new government8217;s professed commitment to deliver credible governance at the Centre.