New Delhi: What is common between Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and mangoes?
''Both are sweet,'' according to Lok Sabha speaker, Somnath Chatterjee.
Chaterjee made the remark after Lalu entered the House towards the end of the question hour to a boisterous welcome from the treasury benches.
The arrival of Lalu, who was acquitted by a CBI trial court in Patna in a disproportionate assets case on Monday, coincided with a reply on mangoes from Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jairam Ramesh.
Ramesh said that Japan had lifted a decade-old ban on the import of mangoes from India and had agreed to buy six varieties, including chausa, langda and dussehri.
Negotiations were also on with the US, Australia and New Zealand for export of mangoes.
The House erupted in joy at this, making Ramesh feel that his announcement was being received with thumping of the desk.
However, Ramesh realised just in time that the members' joy was not over mangoes, but over the arrival of Lalu.
''I thought the applause was for mango exports,'' he exclaimed.
The witty Speaker interrupted, stating that ''mangoes and Laluji are both sweet,'' evoking another round of applause.
Ramesh said that Bihar would also benefit from his Ministry's initiative for mango exports.
The Centre would set up cold storage and back-house facilities in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other mango producing states for the export of the king of fruits, he said.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Commerce Minister Kamal Nath also shook hands with Lalu as he sat next to them on the front row.
Lalu was in Patna on Monday to appear before the court at the time of the verdict.
Comments
0 comment