Chhattisgarh
Bonus Festival
Pleased with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approval to provide bonus to paddy farmers in Chhattisgarh, the state government will observe Bonus Tihar (Bonus festival in Chhattisgarh dialect) in every district where the bonus will be distributed to farmers before Diwali. For 2016, 69.59 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was procured from over 13 lakh farmers, to whom `2,100 crore will be distributed as bonus at the rate of `300 per quintal. Chhattisgarh is known as the rice bowl of central India.
Congress’ Collective Leadership
Congress party in-charge P L Punia has told party legislators to perform to become eligible for party tickets again and that the party will not project anyone as the CM candidate for the polls due next year. The Congress is out of power in the state since 2003 and is desperate to make a comeback.
Bihar
Selfie Brotherhood
RJD’s massive rallies are occasions of celebration for Tejashwi Yadav and his brother Tej Pratap Yadav. The sons of party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav seem happy to address large crowds and attack Nitish Kumar and the NDA government he heads. At a rally in Bhagalpur, the brothers took selfies on the dais, seemingly not worried about the CBI probes they and their parents are facing in corruption cases. An equally unconcerned Lalu was busy chewing paan.
Hitting with Words
Frequent taunts by JD(U) leaders targeting RJD have unleashed an unending war of words between the two. Hurt by statements of some JD(U) spokespersons about the Lalu family’s “rapid movement towards jail”, RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said, “The CM has kept five people in his party exclusively to abuse us. The masses are taking note of their undignified language, and they will answer at the right time.” JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar asked Singh to recall the “utterly nonsensical” language used by Tej Pratap at a rally. Tej had said his mother Rabri Devi would “slaughter” some JD(U) leaders like “Goddess Durga did to Mahishasur”.
Furore over Chair
BJP leader and Labour Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha found himself in a controversy when he sat in someone else’s chair. Photos of the first-time minister perched in Sheikhpura DM Dinesh Kumar’s seat went viral on social media. “When defeated people get power, their minds stop working. If they go to Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor, they might sit in the Governor’s chair,” tweeted RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. The minister, however, said the DM offered him his seat.