Laloo's fish 'n' eggs bargaining chipAs the debate on the confidence motion stretched on in the Lok Sabha for the second day, there were lighter moments aplenty as Laloo Prasad Yadav took the floor.Alternatively, raising a laugh a minute or the ire of the BJP members with his sharply-aimed barbs, Laloo's was clearly the performance of the day. His reference to the parentage of the BJP, referring to the RSS as the "ma and baap" of the BJP, had ruling party members baying for blood.A good 45 minutes into his speech, Laloo was repeatedly reminded of the time by the Speaker. "But I have only spoken for 5 minutes," said Laloo, leaving Balayogi shaking his head in wonderment. But there was more to come. The new Speaker who hails from Andhra Pradesh had not reckoned with Laloo's bargaining skills. "Bihar buys its fish and eggs from Andhra Pradesh," reminded Laloo, insisting that this fact was reason enough to give him more time.Murli's views on Hema's cheeksHuman Resource MinisterMurli Manohar Joshi's new portfolio has clearly affected his choice of analogies. Attempting to describe Bihar's political landscape before and after Laloo, Joshi made a curiously cheeky comparison.While donning the mantle of Chief Ministership, Laloo had promised to change the face of Bihar to resemble the smooth cheeks of filmstar Hema Malini, said Joshi. Instead Laloo's reign in the state had left Bihar pitted with a countenance like that of character artiste Om Puri.Joshi's choice of analogy had opposition MPs on their feet expressing their dismay, with Janata Dal member Jaipal Reddy calling upon the Speaker to expunge the remark.Cheerleader MamataAfter literally saving the day for the BJP yesterday, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee was not content to sit quiet. Instead the livewire MP from Calcutta South spent the day rooting for her new-found alliance partners, egging on speakers, pressing forward the attack against Opposition participants. A pat on the back here and sharpreproof there, West Bengal's eternal rebel was alive to her role as storm trooper extraordinaire for the BJP.Sangma in the trenches! Oops benchesAfter years of running the Lok Sabha, former Speaker P A Sangma's maiden speech as a mere member provided some of the sobre moments in the course of a raucous and at times, unruly debate. He began his address by asking members to sit back and relax. And listen to him they did. Both the ruling party and Opposition members took a brief respite from the shouting and interruptions to lend their ears to the man who had laid down the law in the House for just under two years.His words of caution to the BJP must have given cause for some anxious moments: The last time, Sangma observed, the BJP had the confidence of the people, but could not win the confidence of the House. This time the party will have the confidence of the House, but would end up losing the confidence of the people.His Master's voiceClearly, the most eagerly awaited speech ofthe day was that of Telugu Desam Party MP Yerrannaidu since it would indicate whether the TDP would succumb to the BJP's pleadings and cast its lot (and its vote) with the BJP alliance or abstain from the voting as the party had decided. But Yerrannaidu's 40-minute long address to the House was one unending cacophony of sound as he was heckled and shouted down by the opposition members as he meandered through his 15-page long speech. Evidently unfamiliar with the pages and pages of text, members wondered whether it had been faxed to him by TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu. Doggedly he continued, taking catcalls in his stride till he reached the last page of his text. But it was a visibly relieved Yerrannaidu who delivered his master's message.Balayogi learning fastCatapulted without warning into the hot seat in the Lok Sabha, four-day-old Speaker Balayogi is still having a hard time controlling the more disorderly members of the Lower House. The practice of some wily members to call out points oforder or cite the rule book, has a baffled-looking Balayogi turning to the Lok Sabha secretariat staff for help with the procedural rules. But there's one trick of the trade that he has cottoned onto rather fast: telling members that if they don't cut short their speech, it will not go down in the records, produces instant results. As Balayogi has discovered, however long-winded a speaker, this is one threat that works.
