Houseful for Gandhi

Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh appears to have put the Motihari administration in a fix. On April 18, chief minister Nitish Kumar will participate in a 12km walk as part of the Champaran Satyagraha centenary celebrations accompanied by ministers and officials. 

The problem is that all government accommodations and hotels are already booked because the Union minister who is also the local MP has arranged his own programmes celebrating Mahatma Gandhi. The district administration is desperate for rooms to accommodate persons who will accompany the chief minister to the event. “We have been asked to arrange rooms at any cost. We could not deny Radha Mohan government accommodations because he is a Union minister. Any attempt to vacate the rooms will kick off a political row,” rued a Motihari official, recalling the row Union minister Giriraj Singh created after he found rooms in the Nawada circuit house locked recently. For now the officials of Motihari have one agenda: get rooms.

Silent spokesman

JDU spokesperson Sanjay Singh’s job is to issue a statement against whatever BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi says. However, during the past one week, Sanjay appears to have been left “jobless”. Sushil has just been hurling dirt at Lalu Prasad and family. Sanjay initially defended Lalu, but all the other JDU leaders remained silent as there were specific orders to remain aloof from the controversy. For the past one week there has been no response from Sanjay to Sushil’s salvoes. “As long as Modi continues his drive against Lalu and his family Sanjay will remain silent,” quipped a JDU leader. 

Relief alert

Suspended BJP MLC Lal Babu Prasad, who faces a probe for alleged indecent behaviour with a lady MLC, may have the last laugh. The ethics committee of the state Legislative Council which is probing the matter is finding the going tough as neither Lalu Babu nor the lady MLC have appeared before it. The lady has not filed a written complaint against Lal Babu before the committee. “Without a written complaint we may have no case,” remarked a member of the committee. It is widely believed that BJP leaders have convinced the lady MLC to let the matter go. The BJP is also facing pressure from Lal Babu’s caste leaders to save him. 

Fools’ flock

At the two-day conclave on Gandhian thought, a prominent participant from Delhi declared that holding a meeting to discuss the Mahatma and his philosophy was in today's world thought to be an act of fools. “So the chief guest of the show is the chief fool. Let me call him,” the participant remarked, calling chief minister Nitish Kumar from the audience. Nitish approached the stage smiling.