Protest by appointment

The UPA8217;s most trusted ally and Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav, is in protest mode these days. The grapevine has it that the Bihar leader has not attended the last three Cabinet meetings for the same reason. While RJD leaders will have you believe that Lalu has taken a principled stand over the reluctance of the Centre to ban the Bajrang Dal and to take tough measures against MNS chief Raj Thackeray, insiders say the real reason is something far more personal. A bureaucrat he has been pushing has apparently not found favour with South Block.