Going mad over work

Chairman of Bihar Vidhan Parishad Tarakant Jha had the crowd in titters at a public function when he praised chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi for the work hours they were contributing to the development of the state. “The two have laboured so hard that they have become half-mad,” Jha said in their presence. Nitish told Modi: “Thank god, he (Jha) did not dub us as fully mad.” olitical leaders in Bihar often question the mental stability of their rivals. They often say their opponents have lost their dimagi santulan (mental balance). “For the first time it has been used as a praise,” said a BJP leader.

Birth date blues

A senior IAS officer was shocked to find a government official of his department reluctant to retire. The officer traced the service record of the employee and found that the latter was a low rank official in 1972. He was baffled to see the employee’s birth certificate missing from the record. Worse even, the officer discovered the employee had been recommended for an IAS status twice. The senior IAS officer asked the employee of his department to take voluntary retirement or he would be sacked. The man put in his papers but declared that he would be back to business once the senior IAS officer joined another department. “If the resignation of an IPS officer can be withdrawn, my job also can be restored,” boasted the “retired” employee. Subordinates often prove to be stronger than the bureaucrats in Bihar. Few years ago, a commissioner rank official could not dismiss a clerk who did not submit a birth certificate while joining services in Darbhanga. But he did have more powerful connections than the IAS officer.

Corruption fear post retirement

The war against corruption launched by chief minister Nitish Kumar appears to have worried the retired government officials. “The move should not have impact on us as we have retired,” a retired person told an IAS officer. However, the IAS officer’s words were hardly soothing. “Old files can always be opened to start proceedings against retired officials,” he told the retired employee. “The worry is genuine, as the chief minister has promised to open schools in buildings constructed by corrupt officials. Just look around Patna and you will find palatial buildings built by the retired officials. They will be ideal for opening schools,” said the IAS officer.

Closer to Maoists

The JD (U) camp has started recalling the association of Lalu Prasad with the Naxalites in the past after Leader of the Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui charged NDA with having nexus with the Maoists. They recalled that in the early 1990s the Maoists had actually given a gun salute to Lalu Prasad in Palamu (now in Jharkhand) when he visited the district. The RJD chief was also seen moving around in Gaya with Vijay Kumar Arya, a Maoist supporter currently in jail. “The RJD actually used Maoists’ boycott to disturb the voting in booths where the opposition was strong,” said a JD (U) MP. The Maoists may have changed their political preference but Siddiqui has opened a Pandora’s box about the relationship of politicians with the rebels.