Nitish: Sharing duties

Patna, Nov. 26: Bihar’s new chief minister Nitish Kumar is keeping the home and personnel portfolios, and has handed finance to his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi.

The allocation of departments came on Nitish’s third day in office. The BJP’s Ashwini Choubey, whose supporters had created a scene after he lost the race to the deputy chief minister’s post, was given urban development.

Among the other important portfolios, energy has gone to Bijendra Yadav of the Janata Dal (United) and public health engineering and road construction have been handed to the BJP’s Nand Kishore Yadav. Ramashray Prasad Singh has got irrigation, Chandra Mohan Rai health and Manindra Mandal rural development.

Tomorrow, the chief minister is expected to induct Lok Janshakti Party-turned-Dal (U) leader Ramashray Paswan into the ministry in the place of scam-tainted Jeethan Manjhi, who was dropped hours after being inducted.

Nitish, who has promised Bihar freedom from crime within three months, had his hands full today, meeting the police chief to discuss kidnappings and announcing compensation to families of people killed by criminals.

He summoned director-general of police Ashish Ranjan Sinha today about the abduction of a gold merchant in Katihar and a coaching centre owner in Patna on Thursday. The coaching centre owner had gone to watch the government’s swearing-in at Gandhi Maidan, but did not return.

This morning, a Class X student was kidnapped in Saharsa when he was on his way to sit for an examination.

Killings, too, are continuing unabated. A grocery dealer was killed in Bettiah and suspected Naxalites abducted four villagers and killed one in Rohtas district late last night.

The chief minister today announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 each for the families of people killed by a local gang in Madhepura on Thursday.

Possibly the only good news on the law and order front came from Jehanabad, where security forces arrested at least 10 banned Ranbir Sena activists with arms and ammunition.

The police believe the men were planning a big attack in retaliation to the Jehanabad jailbreak 10 days ago by Naxalite rebels. Several Ranbir Sena men were abducted and killed in that strike.

Chief secretary G.S. Kang has been entrusted with the additional post of principal secretary to the chief minister.

Earlier, Shashi Anugrah Narayan was replaced by P.K. Shahi as advocate-general of Bihar.