Watchful welcome for chief minister

A few ministers of Bihar cabinet showed over-enthusiasm over welcoming chief minister Nitish Kumar at the Delhi airport after the latter returned from China. The ministers even booked their plane tickets to the national capital, and rooms in hotels there. owever, a senior politician who knows the chief minister well asked the ministers to drop their plans. “The chief minister does not like seeing ministers at the airport with bouquets to receive him when they should be at home or in their constituency doing their jobs,” the senior leader told the ministers. The ministers realised their “folly” and cancelled their room bookings and plane tickets. Lately, the chief minister has not tried to hide his displeasure with some ministers and officials. “The images of Nitish Kumar going public against his own men were powerful and the ministers thought it would be better to welcom the chief minister at the Patna airport,” said the senior leader.

Minority ‘advantage’

JD (U) MP from Munger Monazir Hassan appears to be back in favour in the party. On Sunday, he held a press meet at the state party office and charged the Opposition parties - RJD, LJP and the Congress — of trying to play politics over “bodies” (people killed in Forbesganj firing). Monazir took digs at state Congress leaders, RJD chief Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan as “rejected and dejected politicians”. “Mahesh Bhatt is also without work as all his films have flopped,” he said. Monazir’s tirade, however, could not escape the irony of his position. “Monazir was speaking at the same office where a few months ago he was asked to explain his alleged anti-party role during the Assembly polls before a committee. His wife had contested from Munger Assembly seat as an RJD candidate,” said a party leader. Luckily, Monazir was let off with a warning by the disciplinary committee while other MPs like Lallan Singh, Mangani Lal Mandal and Upendra Kushwaha were suspended. “Belonging to the minority community has its advantages and Nitish knows how to use a leader from the minority community at the right time,” said a JD (U) leader.

Special leave also for males

Grade III employee of the secretariat approached a senior official for sanction of a leave he had already taken through an application. The employee had a track record of taking leaves whenever there was extra work and he had already exhausted his casual and sick leaves. The senior official was amused to see the application pleading for grant of “special leave” on days the junior employee had skipped work. “There is a provision for special leave but that’s for women employees, who can use it during their monthly cycles,” said the official, rejecting the application of the male junior. However, the official was in for a bigger shock when the junior employee informed him that many senior officials had earlier granted him special leaves. The employee, however, was not granted any leave and he is now busy thinking of a way to prevent his salary from being deducted.

Saala clout at police head office

The police headquarters is abuzz with talks about a saala (brother-in-law) raj on in the office. A section of officials point out that a saala of a senior police official has been visiting the police headquarters frequently. “The saala is a businessman and his jeeja is helping him get huge chunks of contracts,” an IPS official said. During the Lalu-Rabri era, the “saala raj” was more pronounced because of the control of Sadhu Yadav and Subhash Yadav. “Now it appears, some police officials are also adopting the same practice,” the senior cop added.