This Week Bihar: Lalus answer to Nitishs bicycles

Lalus answer to Nitishs bicycles

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Lalus answer to Nitishs bicycles

RJD chief Lalu Prasad has come up with a scheme for a scheme. To counter Chief Minister Nitish Kumars novelty of bicycles for school students,Lalu has decided to buy 57 buses and donate these 32-seaters to schools and colleges in his parliamentary constituency of Saran in Chhapra. He says he has written to the Saran DM for approval to buy buses. The RJD president says his party workers conducted a survey and found how students had been struggling to reach schools and colleges in the absence of proper transport services. Prasad said he would buy the buses from his MPLAD fund,which has accumulated to Rs 15 crore in three years. The buses,which will be bought from next month,will cost Rs 7.41 crore.

Yatra time,again

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his rival Lalu Prasad are embarking on yatras. Nitish will start an Adhikar Yatra on Tuesday as a build-up to his partys upcoming Adhikar Rally in Patna. Lalu will go on a Parivartan Yatra from October 3 to expose Nitishs claims of good governance. Lalu said his party would raise issues such as corruption,deteriorating law and order and shoddy implementation of several welfare schemes. Nitish has kept his focus on his demand for special category status for Bihar.

RJD doublespeak

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The main opposition,RJD,has been inconsistent on FDI in retail. After the Central nod to such FDI,RJD Rajya Sabha MP Ramkripal Yadavs first reaction was to ask reporters to explain what FDI means. He then said his party would oppose it as it would hurt the interest of farmers and retailers. Later,Lalu Prasad overruled his MPs stand and said the RJD was in favour of FDI as people will have better options. This was apparently because Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had opposed FDI and Lalu Prasad could not afford to be seen as agreeing with him. The lesson for RJD leaders is not to speak until their chief has done so.

Town development

The government has announced it will develop 55 more state towns,including Gaya and Rajgir,under the Support Programme for Urban Reforms (SPUR) of the UKs DIFD,or Department For International Development. Urban Development and Housing Minister Prem Kumar said the government would try to include all 42 municipal bodies and 86 nagar panchayats.