Nitish remains off colour, Lalu abstains from 'kurtaphad’ Holi

Holi was celebrated with traditional fervour in Bihar but CM Nitish Kumar and his bete noire RJD supremo Lalu Prasad refrained from celebrating the festival of colours to empathise with the victims of Kosi floods and Mumbai terror strike.

Holi was celebrated with traditional fervour in Bihar but Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his bete noire RJD supremo Lalu Prasad refrained from celebrating the festival of colours to empathise with the victims of Kosi floods and Mumbai terror strike.

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Uncharacteristic silence enveloped 1, Anne Marg, the official residence of the chief minister who kept indoors but greeted people through advertised messages.

The famous ‘kurtafad´ Holi, in which revellers tore each others’ clothes, was missing at Lalu’s residence and so was the enduring image of the irrepresible leader singing ‘jogira sara rara´ to the beat of drums.

The gates of Lalu-Rabri’s residence opened only after 4 pm when he smeared gulal on the faces of party workers and leaders after keeping them waiting outside for hours.

“The people are shaken after the Kosi deluge and the terror attack on Mumbai. I decided not to have a ‘Kurtaphad Holi´ this time to empathise with them,” Prasad told reporters.