
Lalu Yadav offering a rose to wife Rabri Devi
In his own style, Mr Yadav told the waiting media, "People follow the English calendar these days, so I thought why not celebrate here in Patna too."
But this wasn't the only Made-for-TV moment on offer at the RJD chief's home today in Patna. Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also came calling; on the agenda for both politicians was politics.
2015 will be an important year for politics in Bihar in many ways. The state will see assembly elections towards the end of the year, and in all likelihood Mr Yadav's RJD and Mr Manjhi's Janata Dal (United) are set to fight against the BJP as one party, after a merger whose contours are being worked out by Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to look at a larger banner of the Samajwadi Janta Dal.
"Without the support of people like Lalu, we cannot stop the flow of those who are promoting hatred in society," said Mr Manjhi.
"The coming year is very important, the secularism of the country is at stake," said Mr Yadav.