The blame game continuing between the railways and the Bihar government over the train disaster in Khagaria turned unseemly on Wednesday with chief minister Nitish Kumar criticising minister of state for railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for putting a part of the responsibility on the state government.

Despite the BJP’s central leadership disapproving of its Bihar state unit’s formal call for Narendra Modi’s projection as prime ministerial candidate, the state unit leaders on Tuesday stood by their decision, saying they only bowed to the overwhelming desire of Bihar’s BJP workers.

A morning abuzz with religious fervour turned into one of sheer mourning and mayhem in Bihar on Monday when nearly 37 Hindu devotees were killed under the wheels of a speeding train and three dozen others were badly injured. An angry mob then set afire ten coaches of two trains, killed one train driver and left another battling for life.

The BJP’s plans to play the caste card gainfully in Bihar’s caste-driven politics owing to Narendra Modi’s supposed backward caste descent got an unexpected foothold on Sunday when two former JD(U) MPs supported the state BJP’s emphatic call to project Mr Modi as the PM candidate.

In a socio-economically progressive foray into a traditionally male-dominated profession, 15 specially trained women auto-rickshaw drivers began commercially driving their newly acquired vehicles on the congested roads of the Bihar capital on Sunday.

A JD(U) MP from Bihar has been accused by lawyers in his constituency of patronising an alleged killer of a lawyer-cum-RTI activist who had highlighted a series of corrupt practices in a panchayat.

Yet another midday meal tragedy appeared to be in the making in Bihar on Friday when 40 schoolchildren fell ill after eating the free school lunch and were hospitalised. Three of the 25 “very sick” children were put under intensive medical care.

The Modi-versus-Nitish dichotomy gripping Bihar politics flared up once again and left the state’s two major Opposition parties — BJP and RJD — flustered on Wednesday. While the RJD suspended a senior MLC for openly praising Narendra Modi, the BJP contemplated action against an MLA for publicly lauding Nitish Kumar.

With a Bihar town put under curfew after a communal clash caused tension and similar communal clashes having taken place in two other towns, chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday obliquely blamed the

In more embarrassment to the Bihar government after two of its ministers drew flak for their unpalatable comments on the martyrdom of soldiers, the state policemen’s old rifles on Sunday failed to fire during a gun salute to iconic freedom struggle martyr Khudiram Bose on his 105th martyrdom day.