No film stars, Laloo is our star: RJD supporters

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">PATNA: Laloo may have won many a hearts in Bollywood but the RJD, unlike other political parties, is not relying on cine stars to campaign for it for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.<br /><br />The party, instead, is depending heavily on Laloo himself, a star in his own right. To make Laloo all-pervasive, the RJD has created its own team of ''little stars'' who would bring alive the rustic charm of the party supremo.On Monday, Shakeel Ahmad Basik ''Laltenwala''-a resident of Nagpur rolled in his cycle at the state RJD office. Basik pedalled his way to Patna from Nagpur in 14 days. The cycle has a lantern on it and of course the photgraph of Laloo and Rabri. "Laltenwala is a name given to me by Lalooji when he came to Nagpur in February 2002," Basik said. He said he would campaign in Madhepura and Chapra from where the RJD chief is expected to contest.<br /><br />"I have quit Congress to join RJD because I consider Lalooji genuinely secular and a leader devoted to the cause of poor," said a charmed Basik. He said he had talked to Laloo on phone and that the RJD chief had asked him to come to Bihar to campaign for him. It''s not only Basik who will be the little star campaigner for the RJD. Birendra Sharma will be the most sought after man by RJD leaders. <br /><br />He also campigns for the party on a cycle. What makes him unique is his ability to mimic Laloo''s speech. For this ability he has earned the nickname of ''Chota Laloo''. <br /><br />"Even Laloo asks him to mimic his voice at public functions and he goes on to appeal to vote for RJD in the same voice. He is usually able to draw small crowds because of his ability," remarked a senior RJD leader. The trouble is that Birendra has vanished after the last assembly elections. RJD leaders are trying to trace him.<br /><br />There are other campaigners like Surendra Yadav and Mehmood Alam-low key party workers who still roam around cycles and foot displying Laloo and Rabri''s photographs on their bodies. <br /><br />When Laloo was in jail in connection with the fodder scam, a dozen RJD supporters canvassed for Laloo trying to drive home the point that he was innocent. <br /><br />Senior RJD leaders insist that people like Birendra Sharma and Barik will be more effective than Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillon, Jayaprada....<br /><br /><formid=526372></formid=526372></div> </div>