Plush bungalow symbol of power

The allotment of 3, Deshratan Marg to water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary as his official residence, according to the JD (U) insiders, is his symbolic rise in power. “The sprawling official bungalow has been the residence for the virtual number two in the cabinet and is located near the chief minister’s office and residence. It was the residence of former Union minister Raghunath Jha, when he used to be acknowledged as number two in Lalu Prasad’s cabinet in the early 1990s.” said a JD (U) leader. ncidentally, the residence was taken over by Subhash Yadav — the younger brother-in-law of Lalu, when Jha decided to part ways with the RJD chief in the mid-90s. Even then there was intense one-upmanship between Sadhu (the elder brother-in-law) and Subhash to establish themselves as the “most powerful” sala. Subhash, who was just a first-term MLC, got the important landmark and emerged as the closer and more powerful sala.

Horse blues

Young BJP MLA Nitin Navin was virtually thrown away by the horse he tried to climb at the just-concluded BJP-sponsored programme to celebrate the birth anniversary of legendary freedom fighter Veer Kuwar Singh. He was lucky to escape unhurt. The horses were brought to the show to symbolise Rajput gallantry. “Nitin should not have got on the horse. The horse must have known that the rider is not a Rajput,” said a BJP worker jokingly. But a senior politician pointed out that the incident did not have anything to do with caste. “Horses do not usually accept politicians as their riders,” he said, recalling that minister Ramai Ram and more recently don-turned-politician Ananta Singh were thrown by their own horses. Both of them managed to escape unhurt but it wounded their pride, the politician added.

Airport mess

The arrival of a VVIP at Patna airport can cause stress to normal passengers. The arrival of former BJP national president Rajnath Singh led to blockade of exit gates at the airport as over-enthusiastic supporters were there to greet him with garlands and slogans. A large number of vehicles of supporters were parked outside the gate. It took more than 15 to 20 minutes for the situation to turn normal. “The supporters of politicians should be banned from entering the airport and should be kept at least 1km away,” said a frustrated passenger. An airport official said the situation had improved now. “During Lalu Prasad’s days, I used to see supporters going to the airstrip on horses and camels to welcome their leaders. It took a lot of words to convince them to go back,” he said.

Everyone’s favourite

Speculation is rife over Bihar chief secretary Anup Mukerji heading for Delhi as the ext cabinet secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. Anup is scheduled to retire in eptember this year. If he makes it to the coveted post, his service will be extended by two years. But the buzz about this evelopment is that only the Union finance minister, ranab Mukherjee, is backing Anup for the post. “He (Anup) appears to be the favoured one of both the Bihar chief inister and the nion finance minister,” aid an IAS officer, wondering about the art to please leaders of rival political parties.