Patna, Jan. 20: Tiptoeing on the recently held sesquicentennial celebrations of Patna College, the institution’s seminar hall had another brush with history today — a special three-hour session to mark the commencement of the 100th year of the Bihar Legislative Council.
The celebrations were different from its normal council meeting, as the common bitterness among the members was missing, neither did opposition members walk out nor did they disrupt the council proceedings.
The session started at 11.07am with the singing of Vande Mataram. Council chairman Tarakant Jha while addressing the present and former council members highlighted the contribution of Bihar to the development of democracy in the country.
Terming it as a great day and a big privilege, Jha said: “The Legislative Councils of Bihar and Orissa (now Odisha) met at the Patna College seminar hall and it was presided by Sir Charles Stuart Bayley, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bihar and Orissa.”
The 43-member Legislative Council was formed in 1912 and the first session was convened on January 20, 1913.
The council centenary year celebrations witnessed a rare instance, as apart from members from the ruling coalition, even members from opposition members didn’t miss the chance to sing paeans to the chief minister for his development initiatives.
Kedar Nath Pandey, a senior council member belonging to CPI, praised the chief minister for development work, including Nitish’s fight against corruption. Pandey, who is usually known for pulling up the ruling party members said: “Nitish Kumar’s fight against corruption has become a role model for other states and they are adopting it.” Pandey was not the lone Opposition member who tried to eulogise the chief minister for his work. Congress legislative council member Chandan Bagchi too highlighted the role of Nitish Kumar in maintaining law and order in the state.
Nitish, the last speaker on the occasion, said: “The day should not be remembered as a ritual but its relevance should be counted.” He too claimed that entry to the legislative council should never be considered as backdoor entry as members are experienced. Nitish said: “There has been outcry that the legislative council should be abolished but there are no such plans as not only he and his deputy but six ministers come from the legislative council.”
He added: “I am in the legislative council not by compulsion but by choice, as I wanted to serve the entire state and not only a constituency.”
