SaSuRaL party

The BJP never tires of calling the RJD a Sasural party8212;Sadhu, Subhash, Rabri and Laloo party. The first two are the brothers of the Chi...

The BJP never tires of calling the RJD a Sasural party8212;Sadhu, Subhash, Rabri and Laloo party. The first two are the brothers of the Chief Minister and not quite brotherly towards each other. The RJD has now been split vertically into loyalists of each brother. Both are MPs8212;Subhash in the Rajya Sabha and Sadhu in the Lok Sabha. There is no better opportunity to display the loyalty than now. Supporters of both bothers have locked horns over the most visible hoardings in Patna. In the pantheon of RJD leaders only one of the brothers-in-law can appear on one poster. The eldest of the CM8217;s brothers, Prabhunath Yadav, has been trying for a foothold in politics for long but unsuccessfully. This time again, he has plastered his own posters in the city.

Secular business only

RJD leaders virtually ran riot in Patna, preparing for the party rally on December 23, which now stands postponed. The worst-hit were businesses. Besides shelling out money, owners had to surrender their costly billboards across Patna. Even hoardings of the UNICEF8212;advertising polio vaccine8212;were taken over by the RJD. Bihar State Cooperative Bank filed an FIR at a magistrate8217;s court against RJD leader Ashok Yadav for capturing all its hoardings advertising its schemes. However, the RJD thinks it all reflected popular support for the party. 8216;8216;Everyone is calling us and requesting us to use their hoardings. Only a few establishments who are supporters of communal forces are protesting,8217;8217; said spokesperson Motiur Rahman.

Condoms in jail

Among the recoveries from prisoners during the recent raids across jails in Bihar were condoms. The search was ordered by the high court primarily to recover mobile phones with which prisoners were running their crime syndicates uninterrupted. Now the prison authorities are in a dilemma over describing their unexpected recoveries8212;as a sign of informed and healthy sexual behavior or a breach of the prison manual! Talking of jails, the number of undertrials who escape from custody while being taken to court is substantial in Bihar8212;this year, till November, 66 had done so. Eight people broke out of jail. In 2003, 76, and in 2002, 15 prisoners escaped from custody while being taken to court.

Seedy company

Multinational seed company Monsanto is back again in controversy in Bihar. A legislative committee has now accused the company of cheating the farmers of Bihar. The controversy goes back to 2002-03, when maize seeds worth Rs 30 crore supplied by the company in Bihar failed to grow. The state government Agriculture Department and a Union government agency had earlier inquired into the issue and reported that cold weather conditions were responsible for the crop failure. The legislative panel has now rejected these findings. Pointing out that other seed varieties had flowered, the House panel led by Upendra Prasad Singh said seeds sold in Bihar should be tested under local conditions. Farmers of Vaishali, East Champaran, West Champaran and Khagaria particularly had faced huge losses.

Birds of passage

The Kabar Lake in Bihar8217;s Begusarai district is the country8217;s second largest bird sanctuary after Rajasthan8217;s Bharatpur. Migratory birds from Central Asia and Himalayan regions descend here every winter, brood and return by the beginning of summer. Of late, the birds too are coming under pressure. Forest Department officials say bird numbers are sliding fast due to rampant poaching and lack of maintenance of the lake. The 15,000-acre wetland has been declared out-of-bounds for farmers and fishermen, and activists say unless conservation includes economic interests of the local inhabitants, it cannot be sustained.