Mixed signals

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad has given a shutdown call in Bihar on July 27 to press for the release of the caste census figures. No problems with the date except that his foe-turned-political ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced he would release a report card on the achievements of the state government on that day. For Kumar, the report card release is an annual ritual, which was advanced this year in view of the coming Assembly polls. It didn't help either when on Wednesday Kumar tweeted, "Jo Rahim uttam prakriti, ka kari sakat kusang chandan vish vyaapat nahi, lapte rehet bhujang." (Loosely translated, it means bad company doesn't harm good people, just as sandalwood remains unaffected by poison even when snakes cling to it.) Of course, Kumar later cleared the air saying by "snakes" he wasn't referring to foe-turned-friend Lalu Prasad but friend-turned-foe Bharatiya Janata Party.