Puja politics come to the fore in Bihar

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">PATNA: You can call it "puja politics" of sorts: Politicians are becoming patrons of puja committees in a big way in the city. <br /><br />Names of political heavyweights, owing allegiance to different political parties, can be seen on puja banners at many places. While some politicians attribute it to their "<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">bhakti</span>", others admit it is another way of keeping in touch with the masses.<br /><br />Leading the pack are of course the men belonging to the ruling RJD and its coalition partner, Congress.But Opposition leaders do not lag behind in giving "moral and financial" support to the committees.<br /><br />Sanjeev Prasad Tony of the Congress, RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav''s nephew Nagendra Rai, Chief Minister Rabri Devi''s brothers Subhash Yadav and Prabhunath Singh Yadav, one-time MLA Ramanand Yadav, MLC Ram Kripal Yadav, BJP MLA Navin Kishore Prasad Sinha, RJD MP Vijay Singh Yadav, state energy minister Shyam Rajak are some of those directly or indirectly involved with one or another committee.<br /><br />While Tony''s association with a puja committee started way back in the 1980s, Nagendra Rai, Prabhunath Yadav and Subhash Yadav are relatively new entrants to the "apolitical field". <br /><br />"I''ve been elected president by the committee and have been holding the post for the last four years. There was no pressure on the members, nor is there any politics involved in it. It is pure <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">bhakti</span>," claimed Laloo''s nephew, Nagendra Rai, who heads a puja committee in Raja Bazar.<br /><br />Barely 15 metres from the nephew''s committee is another puja committee which is headed by Laloo''s brother-in-law Prabhunath. And not far away is the committee near the JD Women''s College which is headed by another brother-in-law, Subhash.<br /><br />"The association of politicians with puja committees is a recent phenomenon," said Surendra Lal Rai, working president of the Dak Bungalow puja committee of which Tony is the president. Rai belongs to RJD and Tony to Congress and according to Rai, "our puja committee proves that the bond between Congress and RJD is intact".<br /><br />The patronage of politicians comes with many advantages: The members agreed they get electricity connection easily, "unwritten permission" for playing loudspeakers till late night and the "right" to encroach roads. <br /><br />"Rules become flexible," one of them said.<br /><br />"Puja politics gives politicians an opportunity to show their ''<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">shakti</span>'' (strength) laced with ''<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">bhakti</span>'' (devotion)," Anil Kumar, a social worker, said, referring to the grandiose <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">pandals </span>and immersion processions of the committees patronised by politicians.</div> </div>