Bihar document -- Nitish sidelines Paswan faction
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, AUG 29: Union Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar has completely ignored the Ram Vilas Paswan faction while constituting the core group which has been entrusted with the task of preparing the vision document for development of post-Jharkhand Bihar.

Three leaders close to the Union Communications Minister, including his younger brother Ram Chandra Paswan, former Union Minister Jai Narain Prasad Nishad and Samata Party MP Manjay Lall had said yesterday that if the committee had to succeed, no minister should be made its member.

Kumar refused to take the bait when asked by newspersons about the demand made by the Paswan loyalists. ``There is no answer to jealousy,'' he said.

By forming the committee, Kumar has taken the lead in the battle for supremacy vis-a-vis his bete-noire Paswan. The seven-member panel includes Ballia MP Ram Jiwan Singh, who was known for his proximity to the Union Communications Minister.

Kumar said the committee would have discussions with the Union ministers from Bihar as well as the state Chief Minister before it prepared the development document in the light of the views expressed by a cross-section of MPs at a meeting held on August 24.

The other members of the core committee are Ranjan Prasad Yadav (RJD), Madan Prasad Jaiswal (BJP), Raghunath Jha (Samata Party), Rajo Singh (Congress), Nagendra Nath Ojha (CPI) and Subodh Roy (CPM).

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