Lean & thin Gyanu gets fighter tag

Former minister Devesh Chandra Thakur compared a lean and thin JD(U) MLA Gyanendra Singh Gyanu to freedom fighter Veer Kuer Singh. While Singh fought the Britons, Gyanu fought against the enemies within the party, Thakur said. he former minister was apparently referring to Gyanu’s role as a chairman of the disciplinary panel, which recommended action against more than 400 JD(U) leaders, including heavyweight MPs like Mangani Lal Mandal, Lallan Singh and Upendra Prasad Kushwaha. “When it was announced that a political lightweight like Gyanu would head the disciplinary panel, there was resentment in the party. Several MPs declared it would be humiliating for them to appear before a ‘junior’ and political lightweight like Gyanu. But chief minister Nitish Kumar can turn a political lightweight into a heavyweight and vice versa,” a senior JD(U) leader said.

 

 

 

It’s all in the name

Over 3,000 people were offered lunch packets at Veer Kuer Singh’s birthday on Saturday. The food packets had a message: “with compliments from Janardan Singh Sigriwal” (the state’s labour minister). Some of the participants thought it was a cheap way of getting publicity. But a senior party leader pointed out that political leaders cannot do without mentioning their names. “When they give away cakes or paste posters at public places, they ensure their photos or names are there. Publicity is irresistible,” the leader said. He recalled he had received documents and other gifts at a party’s function outside the state. “Even the pen in the file had the name of some leader,” he stressed, defending Sigriwal for putting his name on the lunch packet. However, the question about how the minister footed the bill was left unanswered.

Equal music

Former VVIPs can now be seen doing what you and I do — shopping and buying vegetables. A few days ago, a schoolteacher saw RJD leader Ram Chandra Purbey carrying a bag of vegetables to his house. The scene was a delight for the teacher as he saw the man who held the portfolio of the education department for 15 years doing what everybody else does. “Of course, had he been in power, a security guard would be carrying the bag of vegetables,” said the teacher. Purbey is not alone. The other day, another man came across Congress leader Prem Chandra Mishra rubbing shoulders with the common man in an overcrowded mall. “A former VVIP misses nothing more than security guards. The security guards not only give them an aura but also do odd jobs,” a former minister said. Now we know why former MPs and MLAs want to hold on to their security guards.

 

Size of garlands grow

JD chief Lalu Prasad openly expressed his irritation over his supporters offering him huge garlands weighting 50kg or more at public functions. He used to call them gardan tor mala (neck-breaking garlands). But the present chief minister does not appear to have any such reservation against giant garlands. His supporters gifted him a giant garland of marigold, weighing around 300kg, recently at a function. During his initial days in power, Nitish appealed to his supporters to give him towels instead of flowers, so that he could use them after the function. Sadly, no one paid much heed to his plea and he gave up. Eventually, he has to accept garlands, the size of which is growing by each passing day.