Bihar CM on 'personal visit' to Ranchi

RANCHI: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was in the city on Monday to attend a function at an old friend's house.
This is Kumar's first tour outside Bihar after becoming the chief minister for the fifth time. He refused to speak to the media saying that "the visit was for personal reasons".
"I have come here in connection with a very personal work," said Kumar, who is the man of the hour after the great alliance's sweeping victory.
However, at Birsa Munda airport on Monday morning, only a few JD(U) workers, led by its state president Jaleshwar Mahato, were seen welcoming Kumar.
Kumar was in Ranchi to attend his friend's brother's 'shradh' at his Church Road residence. Keshri Kishore Mishra was the brother of Kumar's batch mate Kaushal Kishore. Kaushal Kishore and Kumar studied together at Bihar College of Engineering in Patna, (now NIT-Patna) in the early seventies. Kumar planned to visit the bereaved family last week, but had to postpone it for some personal reasons.
Kumar was received by JD (U) Rajya Sabha MP Hariwansh at Mishra's residence while Jharkhand additional chief secretary NN Pandey and principal secretary to Jharkhand CM, Sanjay Kumar, were present on behalf of the state government.
State minister Saryu Rai, who was known to both Kumar and Mishra, was also present at the 'shraddh'.
"It is because of our personal relation that he (Kumar) arrived here to attend the shraddh of my third brother," said Kaushal Kishore, Keshri Kishore's elder brother.
Keshri Kishore Mishra was suffering with illness and breathed last in a Delhi hospital on Diwali day, November 11.
Kumar, who was escorted by protocol team of Jharkhand government left for the airport immediately after attending the ceremony.