The man in the street had taken former chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav at his word. Yadav had piloted the resolution last year when he had been state chief minister. But this was the same man who had earlier announced in public that ``Jharkhand would be created over his dead body''.

There has been another dramatic turn of events since then. On September 21, Laloo went anti-Jharkhand again. Supporters of Jharkhand have taken their cause to the streets going around with lathis and effigies of Laloo Prasad Yadav. This reporter saw men tying the effigy to an electric pole, setting it afire and `beating' it with lathis.

Hundreds of Jharkhand supporters have burnt similar effigies, held dharnas and processions in Ranchi andadjoining areas over the past four days ever ever since Laloo backtracked. Meanwhile, several politicians have pointed out that the text of the resolution is silent on the territory for the proposed state. And Laloo has gone on record saying that his party ``had proposed the creation of Jharkhand comprising tribal-dominated areas in Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha vice-president Suraj Mandal, a former Laloo supporter, also came down heavily on the former chief minister.