'Powerless' in Bihar Assembly

During the monsoon session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly that ended last week, the building plunged into darkness a few times, thanks to power failure, providing members an opportunity to aim barbs at each other. During one such spell of darkness, when a debate was going on, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nand Kishore Yadav shouted from the Opposition benches: "Bijendra babu, pranam (Mr Bijendra, accept my salutation)!" Nand Kishore Yadav was referring to state Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav. Usually a good speaker, that time round, Bijendra Prasad Yadav was at a loss for words. A Rashtriya Janata Party leader later said the power minister must have been feeling quite "powerless".