Rabri relief for ruling party

The ruling party is more than happy with former chief minister Rabri Devi’s entry to the Legislative Council. During the swearing-in ceremony, Rabri sat beside agriculture minister Narendra Singh. Chit-chatting with the minister, she asked him which department he headed. Once Singh said he was the agriculture minister, Rabri replied it could not be a “good portfolio”. Soon after, Singh left his seat. A senior JD(U) leader was amused with the former chief minister’s lack of awareness about Singh’s portfolio. “With Rabri Devi in the Opposition, we should not face any problem in the Legislative Council,” he said, recalling that as Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Rabri rarely chose to speak inside the House. “It is hardly surprising that both chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy, Sushil Kumar Modi, applauded Lalu’s decision to make Rabri Devi an MLC. Their applause was louder than that of the RJD leaders,” he added.

Pension or ticket

Chairpersons and office-bearers of various government boards, corporations and the like are loving their jobs these days. The government has hiked their salaries to almost double. “We are very happy with the hike. Now, we enjoy all the benefits of a minister — a hefty pay, government vehicles, bungalow and security guards. The only thing chief minister Nitish Kumar has to do is ensure that we get pension after we complete our tenure. That is the only thing where MLAs and MLCs have an advantage over us now,” said an office-bearer of a government body. He stressed that if Nitish ensured that office-bearers are given pension, the pressure on the chief minister from ticket-seekers might reduce substantially. For the moment, however, none of the office-bearers have dared to make any such suggestion to Nitish.

Regard for seniors

Tarakant Jha took the stage as chairman of the Legislative Council for the last time with former minister Ramashray Prasad by his side. A member in the audience wondered: Who was older — Jha or Prasad? Jha lamented that he was discarded by the BJP because they thought he was getting too old. Prasad stressed that even though Jha was older, at 84, people still held him in high regard. “He has been a well-known lawyer of the state and I doubt the people would let him retire (law practice),” Prasad said. The former minister, who was in the NDA-I, was dropped in the NDA-II because of his age and failing health. “But look at the difference between the approach of the BJP and the JD(U) towards their older leaders. Even though Ramashraybabu was dropped from the ministry, he was given a re-nomination to the Legislative Council. The BJP, on the other hand, not only kicked out Jha as chairman of the House, it also refused to renew his House membership,” said a JD(U) MLC.

Two birds with one stone

RJD chief Lalu Prasad went to Aurangabad for the second time in two weeks. Last Sunday, he went to meet the family members of a slain mukhiya (village head). The murder had triggered violence at the district magistrate’s office. “The last time he (Lalu) went to Aurangabad was for inaugurating a two-wheeler showroom for his son Tej Pratap in the name of Lara (Lalu-Rabri) Automobile. Aurangabad is a convenient location for him. He can indulge in politics and also see if his son’s business is prospering,” remarked a JD(U) MLA.