Brand Lalu-Rabri fail to glow this Diwali

The Lalu-Rabri brand seems to have lost its spark this Diwali. Firecrackers named after the railways minister and his wife, a former chief minister of Bihar, were a staple but have gone missing this year. It might be scant comfort for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, but there isn't too much trace of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar or Congress president Sonia Gandhi either in the run-up to the festival of lights. “There are no Lalu bombs, Lalu engine, Lalu rocket, Nitish pataka or Rabri phuljhari this year. It is surprising," said Mohammed Rizwan Ahmad, a shopkeeper selling crackers and other incendiary delights this festive season. “There is demand for the Lalu-Rabri and Nitish brands of firecrackers, but we have no such item," added Manoj Singh, another shopkeeper selling crackers. "We are... [read full story]