Lalu Prasad

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has quite a fan following outside India, but his popularity is no longer limited to neighboring Pakistan. According to the Bihar strongman’s aides, embassies and high commissions of many countries have been asking for his bio-data ever since he became a minister in the Central government.

“More than 100 missions have sought his bio-data and asked questions about him. They say he is worth studying,” said an aide. “Such interest is unheard of for any other minister in the new government.” The countries that have expressed an interest in finding out more about Lalu Prasad, who revels in portraying a rustic image, include Iran, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Libya.

Requests for his bio-data usually come with questions about how Lalu Prasad has dominated Bihar’s political scenario for nearly two decades. This comes close after the revelation that Lalu Prasad is the subject of a study by sociologists at Harvard University.

Said a Railway Ministry official: “We answer many questions on telephone. (Embassies) are curious about Lalu Prasad’s rise in a feudal state like Bihar where the upper caste traditionally lorded over the underprivileged classes.”

Lalu Prasad has always been something of a curiosity for his irreverent sense of humor and a rustic appeal –– facets of the Bihar strongman that his supporters love as much as critics loathe.

An inveterate comic even while presenting the railway budget or participating in a solemn debate, Lalu Prasad has spawned an industry of jokes and Internet fan sites.