Team behind grand parties
A team led by a bureaucrat oversees the elaborate arrangements made for feasts at 1 Aney Marg during the Nitish Kumar regime. Known for meticulous planning, the officer and his group members can try their hand in event managements.
The Iftar party hosted at the chief minister's residence witnessed a huge participation. But everything was meticulously planned. “This group even decides the menu and the persons who will do the catering,” said an officer. Of course, officials insist that anything done at 1 Aney Marg now is not complete without comparison with the Lalu Prasad-Rabri Devi era. “The parties and feasts hosted at 1 Aney Marg during their regime were very much like the rallies they held full of confusion. The invited guests used to struggle to get inside, while the gate crashers enjoyed themselves,” a senior politician said.
BJP shockto Dal
The joint Opposition meeting in Parliament to discuss the developments arising out of the arrest of Anna Hazare saw the BJP's ally embarrassed. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, had extended an invitation to the RJD chief, Lalu Prasad. “Lalu Prasad did not attend the meeting and threw his weight behind the Congress on the issue. But it would have been embarrassing for us had he turned up,” a senior JD(U) MP said, stressing that his party would not like to go anywhere near Lalu, let alone sharing a platform with him. The JD(U) leaders are upset with their “time-tested ally” for extending an invitation to the RJD chief without their knowledge. The BJP leaders of Bihar expressed their ignorance over the invitation extended to Lalu. “But in the past both Laluji and Sushmaji have enjoyed good personal relationship and Laluji addresses her as his behan (sister) in public,” a senior BJP leader said.
Blog becomes mum
Nitishspeaks.com, the blog through which the Bihar chief minister aired his views on a number of issues, has been silent for a long time. There has been no fresh entry after the Assembly elections. “It appears that the blog was opened just for the sake of polls,” a senior politician said. He recalled that the blogs of several prominent personalities died a natural death. “As railway minister, Laluji had started a blog. But after a couple of entries and angry remarks from harassed railway passengers, the blog died,” he recalled.
Candle crisis
Numerous processions and rallies in favour of Anna Hazare have created a weird crisis. “There is shortage of candles in the market. A shopkeeper told me that people were buying candles in hundreds to organise candle light processions in the state capital,” a resident of Ashiana Nagar said, groaning that virtually every organisation in Patna was holding a candle light procession. In Patna, candles are still an essential item in households in view of long power cuts during evening hours. “We hope the trend of candle light processions will evaporate soon and candles will be again available in the market,” he added.
