Pocket picked at cremation ghat
Picking pocket is more a sleight of hands than an act of theft. The kleptomaniacs, at least, say so. The saying came true yesterday at the most unusual place - the Ganga ghat where the mortal remains of Parmeshwari Devi, the mother of chief minister Nitish Kumar, was consigned to flames. sing the “sleight of hands”, a pickpocket relieved Kishore Kumar, the senior manager of the State Bank of India here, off his wallet containing Rs 5,000 and credit and debit cards. “There was a huge rush. Initially I failed to even notice my purse had been picked,” Kumar told The Telegraph. He said: “The thieves are on the prowl everywhere - be it the cremation ground or baraat (marriage procession).” More than the loss of money, the bank official was upset over the loss of the cards. Incidentally, there was top class security cordon around the venue with the chief minister, his cabinet colleagues, several senior leaders and top bureaucrats present to see Parmeshwari Devi off on her final journey. The supporters of former advocate-general P.K. Shahi very happy when chief minister Nitish Kumar appointed him as the state’s human resource minister on November 26. They described it as promotion of Shahi. But his detractors within the party now describe it as his demotion. “The advocate-general is a constitutional position, far superior than that of a minister,” a JD (U) leader said. “It would have been treated as a promotion had Shahi become either the speaker of the state Assembly or the chairman of the legislative council or the governor of a state.” The leader cited the example of another former advocate-general Tarakant Jha, who is currently the chairman of the legislative council. “Look, despite being the seniormost BJP leader, Tarakant never eyed the minister’s post. The council chairman’s post is befitting to his status. But the minister’s post is not befitting to Shahi’s status,” said the leader. Rebel JD (U) MP Lallan Singh had daggers drawn against the Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar. He openly campaigned against the JD (U) and gave a call for the ouster of the Nitish-led government. Though close friends during the heydays of their relationship, Lallan and Nitish were not on talking terms. But soon after the death of the chief minister’s mother, Lallan was one of the first persons to reach 1 Aney Marg and console the chief minister. Nitish’s prime rival, Lalu Prasad, was in uri when Parmeshwari Devi passed away. When a news channel asked for Lalu’s reaction over phone, the RJD boss turned emotional. He said: “She (Parmeshwari Devi) was like a mother to me. It is my personal loss which I find hard to cope with.” The old-timers recalled how Lalu used to visit Nitish’s home during the days of their friendship and touched the feet of Parmeshwari, seeking her blessings. JD (U) general secretary and party MP Shivanand Tiwary is perhaps targeting Bihar Governor Devanand Konwar. In a letter to the state human resource minister P.K. Shahi, Tiwary has said the “give and take” system exists in the appointment of the vice-chancellors in Bihar’s universities. Tiwary has not mentioned the name of the governor in his letter. But the fact remains the governor, in the capacity of the chancellor of the state universities, appoints the vice chancellors. Tiwary has sought the minister’s “intervention” in the process of the appointment of the VCs. The higher education circles are agog with the speculation that the ruling JD (U) MP has been targeting the chancellor
Monday, 09 February 2026
