‘Fight it out’ advice for food minister

Food and consumer minister Shyam Rajak is usually known for his verbal lashes at his political opponents. But faced with a “mental harassment” charge by a woman employee of Doordarshan, he appears to be on the receiving end for the first time. is effigies are being burnt by women organisations across Patna. A sad and dissolute looking Shyam was spotted by chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday when the latter went to the Speaker’s chamber for the ritual of offering flowers to the Speaker on the session’s opening day. “It happens in politics. Fight it out,” he told the minister. However, the BJP appears in no mood to be sympathetic towards Rajak. BJP MLAs declared that they would not allow the minister to speak in the current session. Old-timers recalled that when former Speaker Sadanand Singh faced a charge of rape, the BJP came out in his support. “But there would be no similar gesture for Rajak. He has made harsh statements for the BJP,” said a former BJP minister.

Do it please

Some JD(U) MLAs were seen talking with BJP legislators and asking them to take on chief minister Nitish Kumar for failing to expand the ministry. “The Leader of the Opposition, Nand Kishore Yadav, has already done your work by announcing that the BJP would not listen to answers given by other ministers of departments looked after by chief minister Nitish Kumar. The Bihar chief minister will be speaking all the time inside the two legislative houses if the demand is conceded,” a BJP MLA told his friend in the JD(U). Talks about a ministry expansion had died down as the chief minister has not shown any inclination to go ahead with the expansion. However, reports that a few ministers who are likely to be fielded by the party in Lok Sabha polls may be dropped, has created fresh enthusiasm among aspirants. “Taking the help of BJP to speed up matters is no crime,” said one JD(U) aspirant.

Mysterious lady

JD(U) circles are agog with talks about a “mysterious lady” who has joined the party recently. “She appears to be the most favoured one. Even in Rajgir, when a lot of MLAs and senior party leaders were given accommodation in ordinary rooms full of mosquitoes, this woman was given a five-star accommodation,” said an envious MLA, wondering if the lady would be given a ticket in the coming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

RAF to army

MLAs were amused to see paramilitary force Rapid Action Force (RAF) in the Assembly building. “This is one step forward to handling over the state to the army since the state police has been seen as incapable of providing security to the state Legislative Assembly,” said BJP MLA VIkram Kuer, stressing that the DGP should be sacked for using a paramilitary force. “A couple of more Naxalite attacks in Bihar and the legislative building will have the army guarding it,” said another MLA. Of course, the presence of paramilitary force makes MLAs unhappy because they find the Bihar police constables more “willing to oblige” after threats from legislators.