Bihar CM to hold state cabinet meeting at Rajgir

PATNA: Known for its natural setting and tranquility, Rajgir has remained a favourite destination for all tourists visiting Bihar. But for chief minister Nitish Kumar, it’s a far more serious destination.

This Christmas week, the Bihar CM will hold the state cabinet meeting very near the 160 feet tall Peace Pagoda atop Ratnagiri hill on December 29. The CM will be camping at Rajgir from Christmas day.

"If you think I have planned a holiday trip , you are grossly mistaken. As usual, it will be the same work schedule for me. We will also have the state cabinet meeting close to Shanti Stupa. Of course, the ministers will be there for the cabinet meeting on 29 December" Mr Kumar said. For a change, Bihar ministers will reach the venue by ropeway.

Ofcourse, the entire CM secretariat and all officials will be heading for Rajgir as well. Even if it’s not the best of ways to spend the Christmas and the New Year, there is little that can be done about it. On the face of it, however, the bureaucrats put on a smile.

"It is such a nice idea to hold the state cabinet on the top of a hill . It will be a great tribute to this historic place, where Lord Buddha spent several years of his life giving sermons" R C P Singh, principal secretary to the chief minister told ET. For those who may be searching for innuendos in the principal secretary’s comments, there wasn’t perhaps any for, getting away from Patna itself is a big relief for many.

It is not the first time either that Nitish Kumar has decided to hold the cabinet meeting away from the state capital . Earlier, on 16 February this year he had held the meeting at the remote Barbighi village in North Bihar's Begusarai district. The village had then attracted huge media attention, when the cabinet meeting took place in a makeshift hall set up in the midst of a field sown with mustard crop.