NSG personnel clear road for Paswan
Motorists stuck in the traffic jam prone Dak Bungalow roundabout of the city were recently surprised to see some armed National Security Guard (NSG) personnel approach the traffic police, who allowed traffic of a flank pass. Three sports utility vehicles (SUVs) zoomed towards the roundabout and stopped briefly to pick up the NSG personnel. Later, we realised that former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan was travelling in one of the SUVs. The NSG personnel were used to get him out of the traffic jam,” said a motorist, who remained stranded longer because the traffic police flouted the set pattern of releasing traffic from the four flanks at the roundabout alternatively. The NSG cover is the most sought after security shield in the state, but there are several allegations of “misuse” of NSG personnel. Years ago, former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay was charged with terrorising his political rivals with the help of his guards. The state government is mulling to charge the dismissed BJP ministers hefty sum for overstaying in bungalows. “The bill could run into lakhs and would be charged from the day they were served the notice to vacate the houses,” said an official. The sacked BJP ministers had been stressing that the government should first allot new houses to them as MLAs. “But after paying Rs 50,000 a month for overstaying, they might have second thoughts,” he added. The latest point of contention between the JD(U) the and BJP is the state government's refusal to sponsor farmers to attend the Vibrant Gujarat Agriculture Summit scheduled from September 9. The BJP has decided to sponsor the trip of over 100 farmers from the state on its own. The party has alleged that political rivalry between chief minister Nitish Kumar and his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi has turned into a hate-Gujarat campaign for the JD(U). “If Nitish had his way, he would even stop private tourists from going to Gujarat,” said former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi. After remaining silent for some days, the JD(U) hit back questioning the use of sending farmers to a state known for growing peanuts. They claimed that the Gujarat show would be a communal discourse in the garb of agriculture. “Agriculture, food, education, health... everything comes down to politics when it is Gujarat and Bihar,” said a seasoned politician. A senior politician was smiling ear to ear when he saw JD(U) MP Shivanand Tiwari lambasting the rebel parliamentarian of the party, Jai Narain Nishad, for praising Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. Baba, as Tiwari is known in political circles, termed Nishad a political turncoat, who had switched his loyalty from the RJD to JD(U) to the BJP and the LJP. “A political turncoat is calling another a political turncoat,” said the senior politician, recalling that Baba himself had switched sides from Lalu Prasad to Nitish Kumar. “But to his credit Baba has switched sides only among socialist parties. He has never joined the BJP. Switching from the RJD to the JD(U) or vice versa is like changing sides on the same bed,” said a JD(U) MLA.
Monday, 09 February 2026
