Picture shock for Nitish

Chief minister Nitish Kumar was shocked to see his photograph with former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi in a magazine distributed at a function hours after he dubbed the latter “the biggest liar in Bihar politics”. government official was reportedly pulled up for including the photograph. “It’s natural that one would not like to be seen with a person whom he called a liar the same day,” said an official present on the occasion. Nitish and the BJP, however, have a joint legacy. Former road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav was fuming after he was completely ignored when the chief minister had inaugurated the construction of the Ganga driveway. He claimed that the project became a reality because of his efforts when he was the minister.

Parties on joining spree

Former allies the JD(U) and the BJP were on induction spree on Tuesday. The state JD(U) president, Bashishtha Narayan Singh, produced before the media one Prabhat Kumar from Buxar. Singh claimed that Prabhat was in the BJP. On the other hand, the state BJP president, Mangal Pandey, introduced some JD(U) leaders, one among them called Wjee. Of course, neither the BJP, nor the JD(U) recalled Prabhat or Wjee as members of their party. It’s time to include little-known political workers in the party to gain psychological advantage before polls. “We have made it clear to the new entrants that they should not feel assured of tickets for the Lok Sabha polls,” said a senior BJP leader. Both the BJP and the JD(U) would have some big names in the party. “But that will be before the Lok Sabha polls to give shocks to rivals,” added the BJP leader.

View of Shatrughan

BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha is still putting his party in embarrassing situations. His latest remark that the BJP and the Congress should join hands to form the government at the Centre to avoid “blackmail” of regional parties has left his party leaders red-faced. The state party president of the Congress, Ashok Choudhary, lost no time in declaring that the BJP had conceded defeat before the polls. But a senior BJP leader said: “What Shatrughan said would have been the best way to take care of the likes of Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav. But it’s not possible.”

Shift of focus

Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s war of words against the BJP is being noticed by non-BJP parties. “The chief minister is doing the job of Shivanand Tiwari. The focus of the chief minister is now politics, not governance,” said CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya. Shivanand, the JD(U) MP, is known for sharp criticism of the BJP. Of late, Tiwari has been sulking for alleged negligence. “Nitish is contesting against Shivanandji, not us,” said a BJP leader.