Yatra food for thought

A section of the JD(U) leaders want chief minister Nitish Kumar to avoid hospitality from local legislators during his Seva Yatra. They want him to check who is organising food for him and how.The chief minister should resist from accepting hospitality from local MLAs or at least make a prior enquiry about the MLA who wants to play host to him,” said a senior party leader, alleging that a lady MLA in Sitamarhi was virtually resorting to extortion on the pretext of organising a feast for the chief minister during his Seva Yatra. He alleged that the same legislator had raised money in the name of the rally hosted in New Delhi. Incidentally, the chief minister usually prefers to stay in circuit house and his employees cook for him. “The problem starts when local MLAs insist in hosting a feast for the chief minister,” he said. Another JD(U) MLA recalled that during the Delhi rally the traders’ cell of the JD(U) were given the assignment of providing food to the participants. “They did a good job. The responsibility of providing food to the chief minister during the Seva Yatra should also be outsourced to them,” he said.

BJP high & dry

The BJP’s claim that their ministers are being ignored in government meetings is not baseless. According to senior IAS officers, they have been given verbal orders to “avoid” BJP ministers as far as possible. “In case a department is headed by a BJP minister, the inauguration of a project is done by the chief minister himself. Recently, the chief minister’s office took over an inaugural function of the co-operative department in Rohtas. The minister, Giriraj Singh, had to play second fiddle. The credit of inaugurating a dairy firm was not given to the BJP minister,” said an official. Incidentally, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar odi used to be permanent fixture n inaugural functions but after the hief minister’s speech in Delhi, he ppears to have disappeared from ublic shows.

Meetings & hostility

Yatras have always paid rich political dividends to chief minister Nitish Kumar. His party leaders said he benefited from them because of direct interaction with people. “There may be instances of people getting hostile but at the end the anger against Nitish and the government evaporates,” said a JD(U) leader, stressing that bureaucrats ensured bare minimum interaction of the chief minister with the people during the last two yatras because the officers have to face odd questions from both the people and the chief minister. Political circles pointed out that Nitish might have to face increased hostility during his future visits to the hinterland because the promises he made in the previous yatras had not been fulfilled yet.

RJD gets confidence

The election commission is yet to officially announce the Maharajganj Lok Sabha seat bypoll date but the RJD leaders are confident about their victory. The confidence appears to be more because of the possible JD(U) candidate — education minister P.K. Shahi. “He has been so arrogant in dealing with contract teachers and their agitation that he is very unpopular among them. Contractual teachers cutting across caste and creed will support our candidate,” said a former RJD minister, stressing that several contract teachers would be deputed as polling officials in booths. It is an interesting change of heart in the RJD. During the last Assembly polls, the RJD had petitioned the election commission not to involve contract teachers in poll duty, as they were appointed by the present regime led by Nitish Kumar.