This Week Bihar: Black out at nitish yatra

Black out at nitish yatra

Black is under an announced ban at Nitish Kumars ongoing Adhikar Yatra. People wishing to hear the chief minister speak are being turned back by the police if they are so much as wearing a black shirt or carrying a black towel or even a black handkerchief. The reason is obviously to prevent a repeat of protests that Nitish had faced from black flag-waving teachers at earlier venues of his yatra. The state police chief has denied having issued any such instructions to superintendents of police,but police in Purnia and Bhagalpur did seek to shut out black while Munger police too have been taking similar measures. The police have been particularly fussy about security around Nitish ever since his convoy came under attack in Khagaria last week.

Yatri versus yatri

Faced by a counter-yatra taken out by Lalu Prasad,the chief minister has been targeting the RJD leader with speeches about the pati and patni rule that lasted 15 years. He has been asking what kind of change Lalu Prasad has been promising during his Parivartan Yatra. It has been a long time since Nitish Kumar has dwelt on Lalu in such detail in public. Lalu,for his part,has been saying Nitish is fast losing his charm and running a government marred by a uterus scam and a series of corruption charges in the MNREGA,Indira Awas and midday meal schemes.

Power of attorney

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The government will soon amend the existing norms for granting a power of attorney and limit such powers only to close relatives,a move aimed at preventing the land mafia from transferring land without paying government registration fees. Though the government has already started a pilot project in Patna district to restrict powers of attorney to relatives,other districts continue to complain about transfer of land. The governments argument is that a power of attorney is mostly for elderly or ailing people who cannot go to registration offices. Registration,along with excise,is the governments highest revenue earner.

Ganga and FDI

Uma Bharti,former Madhya Pradesh chief minister,is in Bihar on a Samagra Yatra to create awareness on cleaning and saving the Ganga. While lauding the Bihar government for planning to embark on a Ganga cleaning drive from December,she tried to link the ongoing debate over FDI in retail with her Ganga drive. She said while FDI can ensure jobs for only 15 per cent of the population,with the best jobs likely to go to foreigners,the Ganga is still the source of sustenance for 85 per cent of the people.