The JDU MLAs know who matters the most.
Chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi operates from the chief minister’s office in the Assembly building. Right beside the Assembly wing of the building is the Bihar Legislative Council, where former chief minister Nitish Kumar sits in a newly decked up office. The office of Manjhi remains mostly deserted. Ministers, officials and others visit him only when they have to get their papers signed or forwarded by him. On the contrary, the office of Nitish remains crowded with ministers, legislators and political leaders. “Everybody knows who calls the shots in the party and the government. There is nothing to be surprised about,” said a JDU MLA. Even inside the Assembly, Nitish is mentioned more by the ruling party MLAs than Manjhi.
Octogenarian health minister Ramdhani Singh failed to read out answer to a question from a file in the State Legislative Council because his hands shook. Parliamentary affairs minister Srawan Kumar took the file from the health minister and read out the answer to the House. The supplementary questions had to be answered by chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. “Perhaps the health minister should first make himself healthy and then return to work. Under his present health conditions, it becomes extremely difficult to ask supplementary questions,” said a BJP MLC. Even JDU legislators feel that Ramdhani is too old to handle the health department. “He should have been given some less important department like co-operative or forests and environment,” said a JDU MLC. The four rebel JDU legislators, in all likelihood, would lose their membership of the House after Uday Narayan Chaudhary receives their written replies but they are still adamant on their stand. A legislator loyal to Nitish recently told one of the dissident MLAs that they should not have taken the fight to the extreme. The dissident MLA asked the Nitish follower if he had felt a difference in the approach of the former chief minister towards the MLAs. “Previously, MLAs were refused appointment. Now when they go to meet Nitish, they are given a red carpet welcome. Tea is ordered immediately,” the dissident MLA said, claiming credit for the change in the approach of Nitish. The Nitish loyalist agreed. Former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had strongly opposed the RJD’s plan to support the JDU in the Rajya Sabha polls. After sulking for a couple of weeks, he has taken a U-turn and said he was in favour of an RJD-JDU alliance in the Assembly polls. “Raghuvansh appears to have realised that there is no future for him without the alliance because his own caste men ditched him,” said an RJD leader.
