Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has extracted an assurance from Buta Singh that the Bihar Governor’s sons—Lovely and Sweety—will not dabble in state affairs.
Buta’s sons have been the subject of controversy with their names being linked to various postings and transfers in the state, after Buta took charge of the administration. This had provided the NDA with ammunition to hit out at the Governor and the UPA. Sources said the PM raised the matter when Buta Singh called on him.
As for the other NDA target—Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav—sources said the PM feels that the RJD chief has brought about a financial turnaround in his ministry. Besides, the PM feels that Laloo does not interfere unnecessarily in the functioning of the Railways.
Reflecting the government’s thinking at the highest levels, the sources admitted that the present Bihar scenario—two Union ministers, Laloo and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan, leading rival poll fronts—is indeed ‘‘peculiar,’’ but added that it indicated the constraints of a large coalition.