Deluge relief purse gets bigger

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi gave a call to all party legislators to donate one month’s basic salary for relief to the flood victims. That was Rs 30,000 per legislator. However, several legislators donated Rs 1 lakh.  

“Somebody is hiking the amount to be given, if the trend continues it is going to be further hiked. Better give the amount now before it is hiked to Rs 2 lakh,” remarked a BJP Legislative Council member who went to the office of Modi and gave him a cheque of Rs 30,000. The MLC, among his friends, is known as one of the richest lawmakers from the BJP. “But there are legislators like Sachchidand Rai who can afford much more than Rs 30,000. Modiji should identify them and hike the demand to Rs 10 lakh instead of making it Rs 30,000 for each legislator,” said a BJP MLA, pointing out that even a film star had donated Rs 25 lakh.

Photographs and donations

Legislators and leaders love to get themselves photographed when donating for a cause. The chief minister’s residence sends photographs of politicians donating their cheques to Nitish Kumar. However, one BJP leader was smiling when he got himself photographed with deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi after giving him his cheque. “There is nothing to smile about. The floods have brought mystery to lakhs of people. Many of them have died, and you are smiling,” Modi rebuked the BJP leader wiping out the smile from his face. “The smile was actually for being able to be near his leader who otherwise are difficult to meet,” quipped a BJP legislator. 

Babas still going strong

One would have thought that after the Ram Rahim episode, politicians would be more cautious about meeting godmen. But in Bihar “babas” still appear to be going strong. There is a young “baba” residing in Raja Bazar locality of Patna who has a huge following with long darshan queues. According to informed sources, even senior ministers, politicians and bureaucrats visit him. “Lalu Prasadji, as chief minister, called a godman popularly known as Satellite Baba to hold a yagna at 1 Aney Marg to appease the stars. Politicians are like common men who seek divine intervention when they are in trouble. Even Lalu’s son Tej Pratap Yadav used to visit temples and godmen when Sushil Kumar Modi started his series of news meetings to hurl charges against Lalu and his family,” said a JDU leader.

Conch shell-shocked

When the income-tax department called Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi to their office in Patna for questioning them regarding their assets, there was talk about the taxmen summoning former health minister Tej Pratap Yadav also. But Tej is reported to have informed the I-T department that he was down with a bad throat. NDA leaders were tickled over the development. “Tej Pratap blew the conch shell at the RJD rally the previous day (Sunday, August 27) declaring that it was for the battle against Nitish Kumar and BJP. Now we know that it was meant to be an excuse not to appear before the income-tax officials,” said a senior BJP leader.