(From top) In absence of known faces, workers of the RJD paid tribute to late Jaiprakash Narayan on his birth anniversary, JD (U) office too organised a low-key function to mark the day, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi was the only JP disciple to visit the leader’s Kadamkuan residence in Patna. Pictures by Ranjeet Kumar Dey and Deepak Kumar

Patna, Oct. 11: Monday, October 11 was the birth anniversary of late Jaiprakash Narayan, the political figure who coined the term “Total Revolution”.

Former chief minister Lalu Prasad and present chief minister Nitish Kumar are admittedly the product of that “revolution” which changed the course of state's politic.

Bihar, for the past two decades, has been ruled by these two leaders. While the Lalu-Rabri regime lasted for 15 years (from 1990 to 2005), Nitish came to power in 2005.

Call it a compulsion of power politics or the pressure of campaigning for the Assembly elections, neither Lalu nor Nitish could spare time to attend the programmes organised to mark the occasion in their respective party offices.

While Lalu was in eastern Bihar, scheduled to address election meetings at Darbhanga and Madhubani districts, Nitish was scheduled to address meetings in Madhepura, Saharsa and Purnea districts.

“Sir used to attend this programme every year. This time he had to go due to the election campaign. His programme was fixed well in advance,” an RJD office bearer said while trying to justify the absence of the party leader from this all-important programme.

“Laluji has issued strict instructions for all party leaders to remain present in Patna to attend the programme at the party office,” he added.

The RJD office bearer, however, had nothing to offer when asked about whether the same instruction had been issued to Lalu’s better half Rabri Devi who holds the chair of leader of opposition in the Bihar Assembly.

“We have no specific information about madam’s programme,” he said.

The scene at the party office of Nitish Kumar led Janata Dal (United) was no different. The function organised to mark JP’s anniversary was a low-key affair. None of the party’s visible faces, including Nitish Kumar, could spare time to attend the programme.

“Nitishji has to address eight public meetings today so he would not be able to attend the programme being held in the party office,” said JD(U) state unit general secretary Navin Kumar Arya. Yet another product of JP movement, Sushil Kumar Modi, who is deputy chief minister in the NDA government, however, chose to take out time from his tight schedule and went to the Kadamkuan residence of JP to pay tribute to the leader.