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Diesel subsidy triggers rains
Last year as drought was declared, the government announced Rs 10 per litre for diesel for farmers to irrigate agricultural land. Then suddenly the rains came and the situation improved.
his year also the government announced Rs 20 per litre for farmers as drought was declared. As the modalities were worked out for distributing the subsidy, the rains have come again. If it rains as the local met office has predicted, the government may have to consider giving relief to flood victims instead of subsidy to drought hit farmers. “Why wait for the drought? Perhaps the government should announce drought much earlier,” wagged a tongue.
Blow hot,blow cold
JD(U) MP from Gopalganj Puranmasi Ram is blowing hot again against the Nitish Kumar government. In Bagaha recently he addressed a meeting in which he stressed that development was taking place because of the generosity of the Centre. “The Nitish government has failed on all accounts,” he remarked. Ram, who was a minister in the Rabri Devi government, got his son to contest on an RJD ticket from Bagaha Assembly seat. When the JD(U) suspended him for anti-party activities, Ram pleaded that his son was not under his control and that he did not have anything to do with his son's political inclination. “With elections approaching, he is again blowing hot and is likely to seek the RJD’s help for tickets for his kin,” remarked a senior JD(U) leader, stressing that the ruling party was paying the price for inducting controversial politicians like Ram.
The third option
The third option floated by former MP Devendra Prasad Yadav held a meeting of like minded politicians. Among others it drew former MLC PK Sinha and NCP leader Tariq Anwar to the meeting. It drew jibes from both the RJD and JD(U). “Most of the leaders attending the meet were yesteryear leaders whom people have forgotten. Some of them had even retired from public life,” said a senior RJD leader.
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Strike bliss
With non-gazetted employees going on strike again, it is common belief that government work comes to a grinding halt. “Well actually it is not complete. The same employees who raise slogans against the government outside the secretariat come to ask if there is any work he can do,” remarked an official who works in the secretariat. “But strike periods are bliss. You can refer to the strike and express helplessness over inability to get a job done,” he added. The Nitish Kumar government has been earnest in trying to hold dialogues with striking groups. “During the previous regime when teachers went on strike, the government did not even bother to call the striking teachers for talks. After a gap of 50 days when salaries were stopped, trade union leaders blinked and pleaded to an important leader that the government should at least give an assurance that it would look into the demands of the teachers so that it would give them an alibi to call off the strike. The political leader took his time in giving the assurance and the teachers joined apparently relived that their salaries will be restored to them,” recalled an old trade union leader.
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