Radha-Krishna,Lalu-Rabri

Lalu Prasad Yadav might have aversion towards the BJPs temple agenda,there is little he can do about a family planning to construct a temple...

Lalu Prasad Yadav might have aversion towards the BJPs temple agenda,there is little he can do about a family planning to construct a temple for him and wife Rabri Devi for all they have done for Dalit pride. Mukhiya Devi and her son Rajeshwar,who say they view the couple as a reincarnation of Lord Krishna and Radha,recently performed bhumi pujan at their 2,700 sq ft plot at Alampur village in Sasaram district. Rajeshwar says Rs 54 lakh will be needed to construct the sanctum sanctorum in which five-feet-tall marble idols of the couple would be install. But mother and son cannot explain why they chose election time for deifying Lalu and Rabri. Locals say Rajeshwar has political ambitions. The RJD boss,however,has refrained from making any public statement.

Pappu cant contest,but he can charm

Having recently been bailed from Tihar jail,RJD MP from Madhepura Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav,is desperate to become visible again. Although he cannot contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections,he is attending any function coming his way to win over youth. Recently,he attended a function at Patna College and offered monetary help to poor students. All you have to do is to give me a call, said Pappu,who has been convicted of murdering CPIM MLA Ajit Sarkar. He also went on to demand a statue of Rahul Raj killed in Mumbai police encounter set up at Patna. To further connect with students,he disclosed that he had been pursuing a course in disaster management from IGNOU.

Building bonhomie,but with bite

When Lalu Prasad Yadav came calling on Nitish Kumar at the new secretariat,the CM showed him around the new building barely 100 metres away from the CMs residence. Lalu then let fly one of his backhanded compliments. You have got it built very well but it is us RJD who will use this, he said. A wry smile was all he got from Nitish Kumar,who did not waste any time in escorting Lalu to his vehicle.

Grandson of states first CM joins JDU

Hira Singh,the grandson of Bihars first chief minister Srikrishna Sinha the Congressman who ruled the state for almost 15 years quit the Congress to join the JDU in the presence of the partys state president Lallan Singh. A visibly pleased Hira Singh said he looked forward to Nitish Kumars leadership. Another Congressman who joined the JDU was Munna Shahi,grandson of educationist Ganesh Dutt. A senior Congress leader said it hurt the party to see that it was no longer a force to reckon with in Bihar.

Kosi flood washes Holi colours

In a rather self-conscious statement of political correctness,top state leaders decided to spend a colourless Holi to express solidarity with the victims of the Kosi floods last year. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar started it all by making it public that he would not play Holi. Soon to follow suit were Ram Vilas Paswan as well as Lalu,a diehard Holi organiser whose enthusiasm for the festival is well documented.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Expertise He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More