RJD office in winter grip

The RJD state headquarters in Patna appears to be in the grip of permanent winter. A party worker realised that when he recently went there. The portrait of former chief minister Rabri Devi sporting a shawl and the defunct air-conditioner in the office make one believe it is winter. It is hot and humid here. Yet the portrait of Rabri Devi sporting a shawl is on display. The state party chief, Ram Chandra Purbey, should have at least changed the portrait to give the office a sunnier look,” he said. What makes things worse is the air-conditioner on the office premises. It is defunct since the party lost power in Bihar. A few party workers mumbled that both reflected the state of the party in Bihar. When the party was in power in Bihar for 15 years, the state office sported a shabby look as all calls related to the party were taken from 1 Aney Marg, then official residence of Lalu and Rabri. In 2004, attempts were made to give the party office a corporate look. The party lost power the next year.

Crowd silencer

Cine star and BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha is still the most sought-after leader in the BJP functions. When the party’s function started at the SK Memorial Hall on Monday, Sinha was in his hotel room. He received a desperate call from a BJP leader asking him to come as the crowd still considered him the star speaker of the show and were getting a bit restless because of his absence. “Don’t worry. Once I reach the venue, I will just have to shout khamosh (be silent) and the crowd will become silent,” Shotgun told the BJP leader. Even his rivals in the BJP concede that the crowds love how Shatru utters this word. “The only thing is that instead of silence there is a huge applaud from the crowd,” a senior BJP leader said.

A sane advice

A woman came to the janata darbar of Patna district magistrate (DM) Sanjay Kumar Singh with a petition related to land carrying an eight-month-old child with her. Singh asked the woman how many children she had. “This is the sixth one,” she told the DM, stressing that she was married for a little ver a decade. Singh was quick to point out that before solving her land problem she should talk to the counsellor of family planning, present at the darbar. “With so many women coming o the darbars, they darbars) could be the right forum to promote amily planning,” aid one of the complainants, appreciating the DM’s gesture.

Mutual respect

Chief minister Nitish Kumar and his predecessor Jagannath Mishra appear to share a love and hate relationship. At a function organised by an institution run by Mishra, itish was quick to recall that his predecessor had once riticised his government. But I always had a respect or Doctor Sahib (Mishra),” itish said. Mishra had penly criticised the Nitish government during the Kosi deluge. Mishra’s son, Nitish Mishra, had also quit the ministry and there was a rumour that the father-son duo ould switch back to their ld house — the Congress. owever, the father (Jagannath) has been made the chairman of a government institute and his son is back in the ministry.