Anant feels good governance heat
JD(U) MLA from Mokama Anant Singh is regarded as the only ganglord operating “smoothly” in Nitish Kumar’s susashan (good governance). Most of the other ganglords have been convicted under the speedy trial that the NDA government introduced soon after its ascendance to power in 2005. ut of late, Anant, too, is feeling the heat of the crackdown on corrupt practices. The water resources department has cancelled his contract worth Rs 67 crore, taking many officials and leaders by surprise. Anant had allegedly submitted some fake papers to bag the contract. Acting in accordance with the law, the department cancelled it. Can the action be taken as an indication that the law will catch up with Anant, named in several criminal cases? “It is too early to jump the gun. Anant is still too strong in the NDA regime to be treated like others of his ilk,” said an official, adding that Anant would try all his tricks to get the cancelled contract renewed. Bureaucrats appear to be more powerful than ministers in Nitish Kumar’s regime. The other day, a woman minister was heard lamenting about it before the chief minister. “The officers do not have any respect for us. When we instruct them, they (the IAS officers particularly) do not listen to us at all. Our complaints are addressed only after they receive a call from your office,” she said. The minister then pointed out that it was not easy to draw the attention of the chief minister or his office. “It is so because the powerful babus in your office do not communicate our words to you.” The minister later shared her grief with the media. “Nitishji, at least, should evolve some mechanism to ensure that we can talk to him whenever we want. These babus should not be the via media in our communication ith the chief minister,” she said. The high and mighty in the state had to wait in a queue to meet Rabri Devi when she was the chief minister for eight years. On April 11, it was her turn to wait for hours for filing her nomination papers for the Legislative Council seat. The returning officer had fixed 11am as the time for filing the papers. Rabri was dot on time. But she had to wait in the queue as the chief minister, itish Kumar, his eputy Sushil Kumar Modi, agriculture minister Narendra Singh nd others — “more enior in the protocol” — were filing their apers. “Politics is tough profession. Politicians are powerful only till they earn he faith and support f people. Rabri has lost her support, particularly after losing the ssembly elections,” said a leader, adding that she would not get back her status until she was lected by the eople again. The Patna commissioner, K.P. Ramaiah, has a dedicated enclosure to hold his weekly janata darbar. To his surprise, Ramaiah encountered a “bizarre” scene at his last darbar - a person in deep slumber and his officer busy working on a file. Ramaiah poked a pen in the sleeping man’s arm, waking him up. “Why are you sleeping here? Are you not aware that it is the time for janata darbar.” The senior IAS officer immediately called police and handed the man to them. Ramaiah did not spare the officer too. “Is it a place to work? You are busy with a file at a wrong place, not even noticing that an outsider is sleeping by your side.” The officer fled after the tight tongue-lashing.
Sunday, 15 June 2025
