Lalu tracker

A serving IAS officer from the Bihar cadre, Santosh Mathew, has opted for a highly politically-correct subject for his PhD at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex — State Incapacity by Design: Understanding the Bihar Story. He will track the times when Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi were at the helm of affairs during 1990 -2005. Mathew, who was the principal secretary in the state rural development ministry, is on sabbatical to pursue his doctorate and will fund his trip on his own. He has obviously written off Lalu Prasad and believes that the RJD chief will never return to power. But anything can happen in politics and Mathew may be wading into dangerous waters!