Superstitious politicians in Bihar splurge on Vastu

Patna: There may be a mad scramble among Bihar's political class to follow the Western models but when it comes to seeking "fame and fortune", they prefer to look East.

Sounds bizarre. But it's true in the case of most of the ministers in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar that came to power last November.

Be it his official chamber at the Secretariat in Patna or the office at his 1, Anne Marg official residence, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sits in a chair facing East as per Vastu (Indian equivalent of Feng Shui) for good luck and also to stave off the opposition fury in the Assembly.

Lalu advice

Further, the chief minister has opened a new gate in the north-east corner of his official bungalow again as per Vastu principles.

Incidentally, the advice for opening the new gate after closing one in the south-west came from none other than his bete noire Lalu Prasad.

"Nitish should open a new gate in the south-east corner of his bungalow as this is considered auspicious," was the Railway Minister's advice to Nitish Kumar. The opposition, headed by Rabri Devi in the state Assembly, has been gunning for the Nitish government for quite some time for its failures to fulfil its poll promises to establish a "rule of law" and deliver "good governance" in the state.

The chief minister is not alone in adopting the Vastu measures. Several ministers in his government seem to be following him.

Tensions

Art, Culture and Sports Minister Janardan Prasad Sigriwal, Public Health and Engineering Department Minister Prem Kumar, Rural Development Minister Baidyanath Prasad Mahato and Urban Development Minister Ashwini Kumar Choube - all fall in this category, spending millions of rupees on re-locating the main entrance of their bungalows, changing colours of the wall and shifting their sitting positions in their respective offices for "better luck" and "less tension".

A senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and deputy chief minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, admitted many of his cabinet colleagues were superstitious and have embraced Vastu.

Strangely, most of the BJP activists attribute the party's ascent to power to the relocation of the main entrance of the BJP's State headquarters in 2004.