Wrong people get invite to swap sides
Opposition MLAs are getting open invitations in the House to join the ruling party. During the regular jibes and counter-jibes between power minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Leader of Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui on Friday, the minister said Siddiqui was “a good man” who should join the JD (U). Shortly after, he made the same offer to Congress leader and former speaker Sadanand Singh. There are quite a few MLAs who would give their arms and legs to join the ruling alliance. But the offer is not open. Yadav is only making the offer to those he knows will not join the JD (U),” a senior JD (U) leader said, stressing that he knew a group of MLAs within the RJD who would happily break the party if they could muster enough numbers. But if the RJD has not split, it is primarily because Nitish Kumar has put his foot down on Opposition MLAs joining the ruling alliance. A question on the status of the only mental hospital in the state had ruling and Opposition MLAs making suggestions about each other. When the only mental hospital in Ranchi went to Jharkhand after bifurcation of Bihar, the state government mooted the idea of opening one in Koelwar, around 50km from Patna. Though the hospital was opened in 1993, it is yet to become fully operational. RJD MLA Raghvendra Pratap Singh took jibes at health minister Ashwani Choubey pointing out he was giving wrong information to the House. “I wonder why Raghvendraji is so worried about the plight of the mental hospital,” said a senior minister, suggesting the RJD leaders might end up there. The RJD leader was quick to retort that the question was originally raised by NDA MLA Sanjay Kumar Tiger. “I am only lending a helping hand to you all,” the RJD MLA quipped. Posters and hoardings of Rahul Gandhi, put up by the Youth Congress members, have flooded Patna. A three-day camp of the Youth Congress has started in Patna from Saturday. The state party president of the Youth Congress, Lallan Kumar, declared that Rahul would address the youths. However, his hairline fracture appears to have spoilt the show. Senior Congress leaders maintain that photographs of Rahul should not have been displayed. “It is a fraud as the organisers knew that Rahul would not be coming,” said a Congress leader. There are rumours that if Rahul came to the function, it would have led to an embarrassing question - why did he not attend his cousin Varun Gandhi’s marriage? Several Congress leaders said Rahul would take quite some time before he steps into the state, especially after the Assembly poll ebacle. People claiming themselves to be close associates of VVIPs give the security personnel posted at the Bihar Legislative Building a tough time. They try to browbeat the security men trying to overcome the resistance offered in absence of passes. “Everybody names district magistrate, chief minister, ministers, powerful officials,” a security man at the gate said, insisting that he would prefer to go back to his police station rather than stand at the gate to check security passes. In 2005, the present agriculture minister Narendra Singh created a ruckus when he and his men roughed up an official at the gate who was in charge of the security. The official had dared to ask who the MLA was. The Vidhayakji (legislator) and his men felt offended because the official failed to recognise such a senior politician of the state. Chief minister Nitish Kumar, who had just taken over office, had to apologise as officials of the state threatened to go on strike. “However, the associates of Vidhayakjis other us more,” said a security official.
Saturday, 20 December 2025
