Chief minister Nitish Kumar appeared unfazed by the resignation of JD(U) MLC Devesh Chandra Thakur from the party. hen Nitish asked Thakur on Friday if he was still in the party, the MLC had said till date he was in the JD(U) and would attend the JD(U) legislators’ meet at 1 Aney Marg the same evening. A little later, someone asked Nitish if he would like Thakur to remain in the party. “I do not put pressure on anyone,” Nitish said. The JD(U) appears unperturbed by the series of desertions. “It is a natural phenomenon before every election. If Thakurji wants to go, we shall let him go,” said a senior JD(U) leader, backing the chief minister’s stand. Unfortunately, the list of possible deserters appears to grow with Machandar Singh and Salim Parvez declaring their wish to contest from Munger and Siwan parliamentary seats, respectively. A senior politician recalled that Lalu Prasad responded similarly when he faced the problem of desertion. “Had my leaders given me a date of leaving the party, I would have given them a farewell party,” he had said. The opening day of the budget session of the Assembly left viewers surprised. The MLAs behaved perfectly, barring a few sniping remarks by the JD(U) and the BJP MLAs regarding each other. An MLA attributed the soberness of legislators to the Valentine’s Day, when roses are exchanged. A senior MLA, however, warned that the good behaviour would not last long. By Monday, all legislators would be back to business and rival benches would shout at each other. “The Lok Sabha elections are around the corner and everybody will try to draw the attention of the media,” he added.
English version of survey missing
Those searching for the English version of Bihar Economic Survey were in for disappointment on Friday. For the first time in eight years, its English version was not distributed. The secretariat of the Assembly declared that the finance department had not sent its English version. The BJP leader in Bihar Legislative Council and former finance minister Sushil Kumar Modi termed it another “slackness” creeping into the Nitish government after the JD(U) parted ways with his party. “The process of consulting various sections of the people from commerce, agriculture and industry has also been discontinued,” he said, stressing that the government’s approach was casual. Politics has no age bar. While the JD(U) leaders virtually ruled out re-nomination of former chief minister and JD(U) MP Ram Sundar Das, the octogenarian declared in Hajipur that if the party wanted he would be available for contesting the polls. “But Dasji is in his late 80s and falls ill frequently,” said a senior JD(U) leader. “Politics is ageless. Dasji did not rule himself out,” the leader added.
