Before he arrived at the CBI court in Ranchi, the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief stopped at his air-conditioned khatal (cowshed) on his way to catch a flight to Ranchi, yesterday. Party sources said their leader "found peace" in the midst of his 72 Jersey cows and 42 calves.

When he was chief minister, Lalu Prasad kept cows at his official residence.

Now, the cowshed has been shifted to a three-acre farmhouse in Danapur, on Patna's outskirts, and supplies milk to leading hotels and restaurants in the state capital.

Lalu Prasad arrived around 11.45 am on Sunday and spent nearly half an hour in the cowshed.

"Laluji is very fond of his cows. He ensured that he fed them before leaving for Ranchi. He offered fodder to five cows, whom he worships as gau-mata, and two calves and took their blessings,' a source said. -- The Telegraph