'This is Laloo's suicidal dip'

As expected, Laloo Prasad Yadav's resignation as chief minister evoked mixed response amongst the state's parliamentarians. "Laloo saw he was cornered from all sides and was thus compelled to resign," says Nitish Kumar, the fiery Samata Party MP from Barh. Citing it as a victory for his party, Kumar -- who was one of Laloo's closest associates and is today one of his most bitter adversaries -- says he expects a mid-term election in Bihar.

"He has made a mockery of himself in front of the nation," Nitish Kumar continues his attack in a telephone interview and is sceptical whether Laloo's resignation, and the subsequent appointment of his wife Rabri Devi as chief minister, was conducted through a democratic process.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the BJP MP from Chapra, says Laloo's decision to get his wife unanimously elected as leader of the newly formed Rashtriya Janata Dal will prove to be his Waterloo. "This is his suicidal dip," he says, "He also knows that now he has to go to jail."

Rudy says the Patna high court rejection of Laloo's plea for anticipatory bail on Thursday put tremendous pressure on the chief minister. "Moreover, Laloo knew that the UF government could not sustain him anymore and sooner or later he would be sacked," the MP explained.

Rudy felt Laloo manoeuvred his wife's selection so that he could continue to rule as proxy chief minister. "But he has lost all credibility and the mandate of his people," he added. Having won a seat which was previously held by the Janata Dal, Rudy is confident of a mid-term assembly election after the monsoon. "I am sure the BJP will come to power in Bihar," he says. The BJP currently holds 18 of the 54 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

But Bhagwati Devi does not care for such a dire prognosis. For the former stone crusher who won a Lok Sabha seat from Gaya on the JD ticket in 1996, Laloo remains the eternal symbol of social justice. "His resignation has come like a slap on the face of his detractors. Some people wanted to rope him in a political conspiracy, but Lalooji will prove his innocence," she says. Stressing the point that it was not Laloo who appointed his wife but the RJD MLAs in the Bihar assembly who elected her, she says, "It is a moment of great pride for the people of Bihar to have its first woman chief minister."

Defending her political mentor, Bhagwati Devi says, "If it were not for Laloo the depressed and exploited of Bihar could never have risen. It is only because of the change that he brought about that a less educated lady has been given a chance to serve her state and country. It is really a very happy occasion."

If only Bhagwati Devi's happiness could last.