Three ministers were caught napping at a public function at SK Memorial Hall while speakers delved on the need to increase the agricultural productivity of the state. Chief minister Nitish Kumar had to wake up agriculture minister Narendra Singh when cameras came “dangerously closely” to him. Food and civil supplies minister Shyam Rajak was also found sleeping. It is not the first time that ministers and politicians were found sleeping in public events or meetings. During janata darbars, several ministers can be seen sleeping. A minister caught napping even claimed that he was not sleeping but meditating. RJD chief Lalu Prasad is also known for sleeping in public functions till his time to speak arrives. The politicians are mentally alert even when they sleep,” said a seasoned politician. The state BJP and JD(U) leaders often criticise each other in public. The JD(U) MP, Monajir Hassan, and MLC Neeraj Kumar recently attacked the BJP’s seniormost leader L.K. Advani and termed the BJP communal while chief minister Nitish Kumar was busy stressing that the alliance in Bihar was strong despite the two parties contesting in UP separately. Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi dismissed the remarks, stating that he would not react to statements made by “small-time leaders”. However, there is anger in the ranks and files of BJP over the JD(U) leaders’ regular “fireworks”. “The JD(U) leaders claim the entire credit of the NDA government in Bihar. Let the JD(U) leaders recall that without the BJP's support in 1995, he (Nitish won only five seats out of 324 in the united Bihar Assembly) would not have made this big,” said a party MLA. “The pot shots taken at each other do not have any meaning, though. Everybody knows that when it comes to taking decisions, only Nitish and Modi matter. If these two start making public statements against each other, the alliance will be under threat,” said a senior JD(U) leader. The bridge across Kosi was officially inaugurated on Wednesday but it has not been named yet. The names of deceased leaders like LN Mishra and Karpoori Thakur, who had a substantial following in Mithilanchal, have been suggested. But the BJP MLC, Sanjay Jha, said he had no objection if the bridge is called Kosi Mahasetu. “But if it is named after some personality, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpaiyee should be the first choice because he laid the foundation stone of the bridge and its construction started during his tenure,” Jha said. The residents are least bothered about the name of the bridge. “Well, it does not matter after whom the bridge is named. The fact remains that the people of Mithilanchal had to wait 78 years for the bridge to be reconstructed after an earthquake demolished it,” said a senior citizen of Supaul district. The efforts of green Bihar appear to be facing hiccups. he JD(U)'s drive found many of its leaders planting saplings and leaving them at the mercy of cows and goats. If speculation in the corridors of power is to be believed, government-sponsored plantation drives are becoming a profitable venture”. “An official assigned the task of a ajor trese plantation drive is demanding Re 1 for every sapling planted. The total amount he will be getting is astronomical,” said an official at the state secretariat.
Sunday, 27 July 2025
