"I'm sure Lalooji will become prime minister"

Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi spoke to Editor Prabhu Chawla on her state, spouse and grouses.

Q. Do you think your husband Laloo Yadav runs the Government though you are the chief minister?
A. He is our party president and I don't see any wrong in consulting him on important matters whenever the need arises. No, he does not interfere in government affairs. I take decisions after consulting all concerned officials.

Q. People feel you are helpless without Lalooji.
A. It is a wrong perception. He has been to jail two-three times. I took care of my family as well as the Government.

Q. But both of you may have had differences on certain occasions.
A. Never. When I was only a housewife, we never fought. Now that I am a public figure why should we fight?

Q. Bihar has become the most corrupt state only because of Laloo and his family.
A. It is the Centre which should be branded as most corrupt. There are 14 ministers from Bihar at the Centre. In fact, they are running the Central Government. But they are corrupt. Because of them, Bihar is getting a bad name. Ministers in our Government are honest, so are the people of Bihar.

Q. So all your ministers are above board.
A. I don't say that. Such things occur in every state. But some people have chosen Bihar as their target.

Q. If Bihar is not corrupt, why is nobody interested in investing in Bihar? Why is it most backward?
A. Bihar has been backward since Independence, it is not a 14-year-old phenomenon. The Centre should be held responsible for its backwardness.

Q. Your party has been in power for the past 14 years in Bihar. Don't you think you haven't done anything worthwhile to improve the situation?
A. All our industries went to Jharkhand. Did the Centre try to compensate Bihar by setting up industries to remove the backwardness? Bank credits worth Rs 24,000 crore also went away. The Centre has been giving us stepmotherly treatment.

Q. Why didn't you go in for early assembly polls?
A. Why should we go for early polls?

Q. Are you afraid of Shatrughan Sinha or of Ravi Shankar Prasad?
A. How can a person working in films be a match to us? Let him fight the polls. I challenge them both.

Q. If Lalooji is made prime minister, will you oppose him?
A. I'm sure he will become prime minister one day. I will be the happiest person.

"The EC will not permit poll-related ads on TV. The ministry does not have the mechanism to monitor the content of political advertising across channels."

"I am surprised. There is no need for the EC to ban political ads since the law is clear that they should not be televised."

EPILOGUE: The tussle between politicians and the EC will only get messier in the coming days.