Koda, Lalu & the kismat connection

De Dana Dan, a Priyardarshan flick, is yet to hit the theatres but one of its fast catching numbers, "Tu, paisa paisa kyun karti hai, tu paise pe kyun itna marti hai" is already a hit in the Jharkhand election campaign, though in a twisted form.

To be precise, it is the new number, "Tu, Koda Koda karta tha, ab Koda se kyun darta hai" which is now being played out in the campaign by the political rivals of those who had backed the Koda government.

Truly, the parties which had kept the Koda government afloat are now running shy of the former chief minister. But the ghost of Koda keeps on haunting particularly RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is even being forced to do the explaining act for having supported the Koda government.

"What do you have to say about Koda?" a gentleman from the crowd asked Lalu while he was addressing an election meeting in Jharkhand. This obviously upset Lalu, who is himself as baffled as to why he alone was being singled out.

"There were other parties as well who had stood by Koda. But why pick me alone," Lalu argues in private circles.

A reporter even confronted Lalu saying his name figured in the diary. "Have you seen the diary," Lalu retorted. "Yes, I have," the reporter replied. "But there are all loose papers," Lalu explained.

Though an independent, Koda became chief minister and lorded over Jharkhand for nearly 23 months until he resigned on August 23, 2008. He was supported by all other UPA partners but it was Lalu who played the key role in installation of the Koda government. Small wonder, more than the man himself (Koda) who is embroiled in the money laundering scam case, it is Lalu who has become the favourite whipping boy in the Jharkhand Assembly elections.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, however, said all those who supported Koda will have to apportion the blame for installing such a corrupt government. "All those who savoured honey (Madhu) will now have to face the whip (Koda)," Nitish remarked in one of the election meetings.