Lalu Prasad Yadav

The man of many hats has had a fairly roller coaster year.

The strong man of Bihar, the leader of the backwards, the Railway minister-the man of many hats was in the limelight for more reasons than one. And not all of them were complimentary.

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While he played a major role in helping in the formation of the UPA government and continues to be to lead the largest non-Congress party in the formation, his high-profile has more often than not alienated not just his opponents but also those within the government.

His handling of situation like the train accident in Punjab attracted criticism from the Opposition but by far the most disturbing issue was his ongoing dispute with Ram Vilas Paswan and the very public spats that they have been indulging in, causing even the Prime Minister to intervene, seemingly in vain.