After the Dussehra celebrations, Patna is gearing up for Lalu Prasad Yadav’s “Chetawani Rally” on October 28.Hoardings and arches have come up across the city and RJD leaders are frantically canvassing in their respective areas of influence to rope in as many people as they could.Among many things Lalu is known for, rallies occupy a special place. This time round, his party is in the Opposition and his “Chetawani Rally” is targeted at the rival NDA Government headed by Nitish Kumar. According to him, the rally is to give chetawani (warning) to the Nitish Kumar government before a mass agitation to overthrow it. “I want to warn Chief Minister Nitish Kumar against the anti-people policies. If he fails to mend his ways, then we will launch a mass movement to topple this government,” he said.Few are, however, willing to buy this view. The rally is being seen as an effort to infuse life into the party men, demoralised after the defeat in the last Assembly polls. The euphoria surrounding the Nitish Kumar Government has subsided in the last couple of months giving fresh hope to Lalu.Through the rally, Lalu will try to drive home the point that he still commands a substantial support base in the state. Setting the political agenda for the rally, he is repeatedly harping on the Nitish Kumar government’s failure to deliver on the promises. Among others, law and order is his main issue. A spurt in incidents of crime, particularly kidnapping of school children, has given him ammunition to attack the state government. “My rivals used to say that there was jungle raj in Bihar when the RJD was in power. But real jungle raj is being witnessed now. Innocent children are being kidnapped and they are going untraced,” Lalu said recently.Though Chief Minister Nitish Kumar refused to give any importance to the rally, his party men are keenly watching all the moves. The caste composition of the rally will be of special interest. Some recent developments like the death sentences and life imprisonments to upper caste leaders in Gopalgunj DM G Krishnaiah’s murder case have annoyed some sections of the upper castes. Though not very loudly but Lalu has been trying to woo these aggrieved sections. “Yadavs coming in large numbers to the rally is a foregone conclusion. But if other sections like the upper castes are seen in reasonable numbers in the crowd, then it would send a political message,” said a JD(U) leader.For Lalu, the success of the rally holds lot of political meaning. He is leaving no stones unturned to ensure a huge crowd at the historic Gandhi Maidan of Patna. He is using his ministry to the hilt and has booked a record number of 34 special trains to give a free ride to his supporters to ensure that they gather in large numbers.
