Bihar changes for worse
Deccan Herald, March 10, 2006

From Abhay Kumar DH News Service Patna:
This one is surely going to disappoint those who had hoped that Bihar
will change (for better) with the change of regime. By government's
own admission, things have gone from bad to worse.

The NDA, which made poor law and order its main poll plank in the
November Assembly elections, had promised to restore the rule of law
in the state within three months, if voted to power.

Armed with absolute majority and having governed the state for more
than three months, the Nitish regime had no qualms in admitting in the
assembly that 102 kidnappings had taken place during the last 90 days.

"Out of these, only 34 victims could be recovered," a helpless
minister Bijendra Yadav told the House, adding that "nearly 10,000
posts of constables, 2,127 SIs, 108 DSPs and 38 SPs were lying vacant.
And this was hampering the police work immensely".

BJP version

Immune to its own government's candid confession, the BJP leaders,
however, painted a diametrically opposite picture outside the House.

Addressing the party workers' conference here, which the BJP president
Rajnath Singh inaugurated at Hardinge Park on Thursday, Deputy Chief
Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi went hammer and tongs
listing the achievements of the NDA government in the last 100 days.

"Jitna kaam peechle 15 varshon mein nahin hua tha, usse jyada hamnein
100 din mein kar dikhaya hai (What we have achieved in 100 days could
not be done by the previous regime in the last 15 years)," Modi made
no bones about weaving 'sweet dreams'.

In the meantime, in its effort to establish the "rule of law", the
government has decided to upgrade the security of its fellow brethren
in the council. "The MLCs will now be provided with two personal
bodyguards on par with the MLAs," said senior member of Nitish
cabinet, Bijendra Yadav.

Meanwhile, security arrangements have been beefed up for Swami Ramdev,
who will be reaching Patna on March 19 on a six-day tour of the state
capital. Enjoying Z security cover, Ramdev will be staying at Deputy
Chief Minister Sushil Modi's official residence and will be treated as
a state guest.