In the raucous contest of lungpower in the Lok Sabha today, the collective voice of the BJP-led Opposition was no match for the stamina and chutzpah of Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Despite the din from 100-odd Opposition MPs, Lalu not only read out the entire Railway Budget speech he also kept the treasury benches — most notably Sonia Gandhi —in good humour with his theatrics.

As soon as Lalu rose to present the budget at noon, the BJP’s Ananth Kumar signalled party MPs to enter the well of the House and raise slogans on the Quattrocchi issue. Other MPs of other NDA constituents merely stood at their designated seats, the BJP MPs kept up slogans such as, “Duniya bhar mein shor hai, Quattrocchi mama chor hai.”

For a while Samajwadi Party MPs too joined in. But they then chose to walk out. Joining them were MPs from the Telugu Desam Party.

The BJP kept up the slogan-shouting, and its leaders later admitted that the calculation was that the Budget would be placed on the table of the House and taken as read. This may have worked in the case of some other minister, but Lalu Yadav wasn’t about to give in.

He began with a flourish. “Bees hazaar crore rupaiya ka munafa hai,” he shouted, and made sure he was heard loud and clear even in the distant press gallery. And he read on and on, introducing jibes at the BJP, and at one point saying, “Ham paanch bajey tak padhenge,” and at another taunting the noise-makers with, “Thoda sa rest ley lo.”

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