Nitish pulls up 37 legislators

Chief minister Nitish Kumar has a sharp memory. He pulled up 37 JD(U) legislators for not donating a month's salary for the Green Bihar campaign at the party's meeting for MLAs and MLCs in Rajgir. Nitish reminded them that they had not complied with the diktat issued three months ago. He did not forget,” said an MLA from Muzaffarpur. The party sources said the legislators thought Nitish would forget that they were financially well-off. “One of the MLAs who has not contributed for the drive happens to be one of the richest men of Bihar,” senior party leader said, adding that several BJP leaders had donated their salary for the cause.

Unfair statement

The RJD MLC and the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Vidhan Parishad, Ghulam Gaus, put his foot in his mouth saying, “honourable women do not go out during night hours”. The NDA leaders attacked his party for “anti-woman attitude”. “Even during the last Assembly polls the RJD leaders made fun of the cycles distributed among the schoolgirls. They said the girls would elope with their boyfriends on the cycles given by the state government. The only thing the RJD has done for women is dragging Rabri Devi out of the kitchen and making her the chief minister,” said a senior JD(U) leader.

Patna remains political

When film stars like Katrina Kaif, Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra begin to come to Patna, it is natural that “local stars” begin to feel the effect. The day King Khan came to Patna, Shekhar Suman also arrived at the airport. “Suman was surprised at the huge crowd at Patna airport and thought people had gathered to see him. He was told that the people had come to catch a glimpse of King Khan,” recalled an onlooker. Politicians recalled that when Suman contested against another local star — Shatrughan Sinha of the BJP — he came a poor third. “Shekhar Suman should know better about crowds in Patna. Despite huge crowds to see Bollywood actors, Patna remains a political city and the only thing that matters is alliance with political parties,” said a senior Congress leader, scoffing the idea of actors becoming successful politicians in Patna.

Catch-up game for cops

Patna police have little experience in handling film star fans. As a huge crowd assembled outside hotel Maurya to see Shah Rukh Khan, policemen struggled to keep the traffic movement intact and resist any attempt of fans to enter the hotel. A young lady was screaming her head off sporting a banner “Welcome to Patna”, hoping to draw attention of King Khan. But a constable took away her banner and threw it inside the hotel. The lady started wailing loudly. An inspector took pity on her and asked the constable to recover the banner and hand it back to her. The constable obliged and the young lady again started shouting with her banner. “You need a little more tact to handle fans and don’t treat them like criminals,” the inspector told the constable.