This Week Bihar

Lalu barely heard in belated act on Forbesganj

RJD leader Lalu Prasad,who took out a march recently to Forbesganj to highlight alleged police atrocities and the killing of four people in firing last June,got a tepid response. Lalu,who had voluntarily kept quiet for six months after the Nitish II government was sworn in,had hoped to create a flutter. But with the Chief Minister having already set up a judicial inquiry,and with teams of the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Minorities having visited the spot,the RJD chiefs response appeared belated. In Patna,Lalu has been challenging Nitish Kumar but been dismissed by the CM as a spent force. The RJD has of late taken up the BIADA controversy that has hit the government.

BJP minister backs Modi,JD-U fumes

With Chief Minister Nitish Kumar having avoided comment on Narendra Modis fast,the JD-U has made it clear it is not amused by BJP minister Giriraj Singhs vocal support for the Gujarat CM. Singh organized havans and a puja in Modis support at Kargil Chowk on Sunday. Last year,Nitish had cancelled a dinner for BJP leaders during the partys national executive here last year after he was shown in the same frame with his Gujarat counterpart. JD-U Rajya Sabha MP Shivanand Tiwari did not appreciate Giriraj Singhs overt support to Modi,calling it a political stunt to pitchfork Modi in national politics. Many BJP leaders have got a tacit message from the JD-U that they should try and avoid getting on the senior partners nerves.

Veteran Journalist is info commissioner

Senior journalist Farzand Ahmed,who has years of experience in Bihar,was recently appointed one of the states information commissioners. It is the first time that a journalist has been given the position in the state. Bihar has provisions for two information commissioners under the chief information commissioner. Retired IAS officer Vijay Raghavan has been appointed the other information commissioner. Ahmed and Raghavan had been nominated by a committee headed by the CM,and whose other members were Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Leader of the

Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui.