CM Nitish’s photo on Gaya Municipal Corporation's waste vans triggers row

Gaya: CM Nitish Kumar’s photograph and publicity material regarding “women employment scheme” on nearly 300 waste collection vans of Gaya Municipal Corporation (GMC) has triggered a controversy ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.Enraged over the “ugly episode”, Gajindra Singh Chauhan, corporator of Ward 32 has demanded action against the officials responsible for this boorish conduct, even as municipal commissioner Kumar Anurag said waste collection van represents sanitary values.The corporator, however, did not rule out a political conspiracy to demean the CM. It is not Nitish Kumar, it is the dignity of the highest office of the state that has been put to ridicule, said Chauhan on Tuesday.Municipal commissioner Anurag said that he will verify whether guidelines permitted tagging of publicity material with such vans. “In any case, the waste collection van represents sanitary values of the society, and sanitation is not something dirty. It is a matter of perception. People’s perception has to change,” said the municipal commissioner.Akhauri Aunkar Nath Srivastav alias Mohan, a member of the empowered committee of the municipal corporation, however, washed his hands off the episode.

“The placement of the publicity material depicting the CM’s photo on the waste collection vans was not approved by the committee. It never even came up for discussion,” said Srivastav, also a former deputy mayor of the city, even as the banner says that it was issued by the Gaya Municipal Corporation.Meanwhile, district JD(U) chief Dwarka Prasad said that he will make the state leadership aware of this development, while Gaya’s BJP president Prem Prakash alias Chintu called it highly improper and demanded immediate withdrawal of the photograph, along with the banner.