Bihar CM Nitish Kumar favours inquiry into Pegasus spyware controversy
Patna, Aug 2: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday favoured a thorough inquiry into allegations of phone tapping with the help of Pegasus spyware which has led to a logjam in Parliament.
Kumar, whose JD(U) is an ally of the BJP at the Centre as well as in the state, however, qualified his statement with the remark "I know of this controversy only from whatever I have read about it in the newspapers".
"It is a known fact that modern technology can be put to sinister uses. If there have been any attempts to intercept people's telephonic conversations, it would be better to get the matter probed for suitable action", he told reporters here on the sidelines of his weekly public interaction programme.
Asked about the opposition's demand that the matter be probed by a Joint Parliamentary Committee, Kumar, who has been a former Union minister himself, said "I cannot comment on what is taking place on the floor of the Parliament".
"But those who have any concrete information with regard to such alleged snooping, must share the same with the government. I am sure the issue will be squarely addressed", he added.
Opposition parties have been aggressively protesting over Pegasus snooping case in Lok Sabha as well as in Rajya Sabha, crippling functioning of both houses of Parliament.
Responding bashfully to his party colleague Upendra Kushwaha's statement that the Bihar Chief Minister was a "Prime Minister material", Kumar who was at one point seen as a "secular alternative" to the Narendra Modi juggernaut said "I have no such aspirations. I wish to serve Bihar for as long as I can".
Kumar expressed surprise when his attention was drawn towards a remark by his cabinet colleague and BJP leader Samrat Chaudhary who had complained about "compulsions of coalition politics" and "our voice is not being heard".
"He never expressed such sentiments at meetings or even during the recent assembly session. In any case, our coalition has been running smoothly for decades. He may enquire from his seniors in his own party", said the JD(U) leader, who has been a BJP ally since the mid 1990s except for a 2013-17 hiatus.
He also rejected the possibility of his recent meeting, at New Delhi, with former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala leading to apprehensions in the BJP camp.
"We share a very old relationship which goes beyond the political. We were in the same party at one point of time", Kumar said referring to Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal having been a splinter group of the erstwhile Janata Dal.
A splinter group of the INLD headed by Chautala's estranged grandson Dushyant Chautala is currently sharing power with the BJP in Haryana.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
