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US doc may take Laloo to court

Nitish S Rele

As if all the pending court cases in India were not enough, trouble is now brewing for the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Laloo Prasad Yadav in the United States of America.

Swaraj Lamba, wife of physician Rajinder Lamba of New Port Richey, Florida has written to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Home Minister L K Advani and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, alleging that she was denied a Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar because of her inability to pay the money Laloo Prasad had demanded for the favour.

Dr Rajinder Lamba is now consulting his lawyers to find out whether Laloo can be prosecuted in the US for "harassing and cheating" his wife.

"We are seriously looking to sue Laloo Prasad Yadav here in a United States court," said Rajinder Lamba in an exclusive interview to rediff.com. "My attorney, Peter A Napolitarno, is sure there is a clause in the federal law that will allow us to file a suit," he said.

Swaraj Lamba, meanwhile, has resigned as the chairperson of the women's wing of the RJD and has also quit the party's primary membership.

Her security has become a major source of worry for Dr Lamba. "Just a couple of weeks ago she received death threats," he revealed. "This really worries me because she is in New Delhi right now and is unable to leave India for the moment."

In her letter, Swaraj Lamba has noted that the money she was forced to spend in the name of party elections earlier was her hard-earned money.

Dr Lamba said his wife went to India to serve the people. "Swaraj comes from a family of politicians...her father was a freedom fighter. She wanted to go back and help women and children in India."

The Lambas have two daughters. One is studying in a medical school, while the other is preparing for an MBA program. "My daughters too are upset about the whole situation," Rajinder said.

Dr Lamba believes that it was the education he received in India that helped him settle down in the US. "If you are not a professional in this country, you don't stand a chance. I feel very grateful to my homeland for what I am today."

He says his wife's decision to enter politics in India was an attempt to give something back to their motherland.

Next: Inscrutable Americans - soon at a theatre near you

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