This Week Bihar: 65 years,65lb and 2 SUVs

Former Union minister Lalu Prasad,who turned 65,got two sports utility vehicles as gifts. No one,however,would specify who had given the SUVs at such a time

65 years,65lb and 2 SUVs

Former Union minister Lalu Prasad,who turned 65 on Monday,got two sports utility vehicles as gifts. No one,however,would specify who had given the SUVs at such a time the RJD leader has mostly been lying low in politics. Lalu cut a 65lb cake that bore a lantern,the partys symbol,as part of the icing. He vowed to resurrect the party and sought to mount a fresh attack on the Nitish Kumar government,accusing it of having failed to check corruption and maintain law and

order.

Nitish vs Modi…

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,who tries not to discuss his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi,could not restrain himself after the latters remark that states like Bihar and UP are backward because of caste politics. Nitish hit back without naming Modi Chalni duse soop ke,jekra me sahasra chhed a proverb that is the Hindi equivalent of the pot calling the kettle black. He said Bihar had left caste politics behind and taken up development. There is no scope of narrow ideas.

…And vs Centre

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Nitish Kumar has said he will allow no more trees on the Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Park,the lungs of Patna,to be cut for the Airport Authority of India. The Civil Aviation Ministry had almost agreed to extend the international airport towards Phulwarisharif but then put it on the backburner,he said,adding his government would no longer be intimidated by threats of the airport being closed down.

Dinner with mukhiyas

The family of Ranbir Sena founder Barmeshwar Singh Mukhiya hosted a huge dinner in Khopira for people of about 50 villages. The guests included a few legislators,though leaders of the major parties stayed away. BJP minister Giriraj Singh was not part of it,having already stoked a controversy by calling Mukhiya a Gandhian. The partys state president,C P Thakur,too had praised Mukhiya but soon had to retract.