When Lalu discovered Indira

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, a celebrated product of Jayaprakash Narayan8217;s Total Revolution that was...

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, a celebrated product of Jayaprakash Narayan8217;s Total Revolution that was instrumental in Indira Gandhi8217;s fall in the 1970s, on Thursday sang paeans to the late prime minister saying she had the 8220;fragrance of the soil8221;.

8220;Swargiya Indira Gandhiji ne desh ko parkha tha. Unme desh ki mitti ki sugandh poori tarah se thee Late Indira Gandhi knew the country. She had the fragrance of the soil of the country,8221; Yadav said in his reply during the discussion on the Demand for Grants of his Ministry for 2008-09 in the Lok Sabha.

Continuing in the same vein, Yadav said Indira had also recognised the 8220;hoonar art8221; in the country and promoted it. Her Government had given many awards to Madhubani painter Yashoda Devi, he added. He said Jayanti Janata Express 8212; the first all second class train introduced in 1973 8212; was a result of Indiraji8217;s 8220;soch8221; her brainchild.

Turning to her daughter-in-law and Congress president Sonia Gandhi who was sitting beside him in the Lok Sabha, the Railway Minister said the 8220;hoonar8221; of Mithilanchal was getting extinct and, therefore, Sonia had suggested to him that there was a need to encourage Madhubani painting. The Indian Railways will adopt Madhubani painting in all its offices and trains. 8220;I thank Soniaji who remembers everything,8221; said the minister, evoking a smile from the Congress president.

His praise for Indira marks the culmination of what senior politicians term his gradual effort to dilute his ideological past to get closer to the Congress. 8220;Some time back he had indirectly backed the Emergency saying discipline is also necessary. For the first time on Thursday, he praised Indira Gandhi publicly. That shows that he can do anything to please Sonia,8221; said JDU leader Shivanand Tiwari.