Ranchi, Dec. 1 -- When All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party leader Sudesh Mahto was elected to the Bihar assembly in 2000, he was just 25. Lalu Prasad offered him a ministerial position in return for his support to the Rashtriya Janata Dal government . Mahto says it was a big deal for someone as young as he was at the time. "I told him to count on my support if he promises to create a separate state [Jharkhand]."
Mahto and Prasad could not strike a deal. But Jharkhand's creation in November 2000 changed Mahto's life completely as he supported the state's first Babulal Marandi-led government and was rewarded with a ministerial position.
Mahto, who is often clad in jeans and shirts and wears sport shoes, kept making headlines with his ...