Too much sweetness can kill

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his former deputy and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi were full of praise for each other on the day the state Legislative Assembly passed the goods and services tax (GST) Bill. Modi said he had refused the post of the chairman of the GST committee when he was the finance minister of the state but Kumar convinced him to accept the offer. Kumar, in turn, was full of praise for Modi, recalling how he had advocated the cause of the states. With so much nostalgia and camaraderie, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) - a partner in the Grand Alliance government in the state - felt left out. A miffed RJD leader said: "Who are we to spoil their fun?"