Lalu's Magic

It is impossible not to be impressed by Lalu Prasad Yadav’s oratory skills. The Lok Sabha is stunned into silence, punctuated by roaring laughter. For all his corruption and obvious flaws, this man knows how to talk to a big bunch of politicians. Even Somnath Chatterjee is giggling. Especially as Lalu explains the nuances of the Hyde Act in his own inimitable way.

It’s also possible that the Opposition doesn’t have a grip on his accent, and doesn’t quite know how to react. I wish somebody was live blogging the Lok Sabha proceedings. This has to be one of the most engaging debates in recent years. While we are at it, take a look at Lalu's blog, and his opinions on the nuclear deal.

They claim the deal will mean we are forming a pact with the US. What pact?
Countries form pacts with each other. They forget that we have had pacts with
Russia and other countries. Power is must as we need it for infrastructure
development. Sloganeering will not help and roti (daily bread) will not tumble
from heaven.
If the US helps, we should take advantage and accept the help
and benefit from it. We have not pawned our independence or sovereignty. The
deal doesn’t mean becoming slaves of the US. If the US does not sell us, we can
buy uranium from Russia, France, Germany, Australia or any other country.

Not only does he blog, there’s also a podcast with each of the posts. I guess he basically talks into a recorder, and somebody sits down to translate it into a post. But still, an interesting effort.