Laptops, not guns are Bihar MLAs' new status symbol

FROM GUNS TO GOOGLE: Computers have taken a tad too long time to reach Bihar's MLAs.

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Patna: You may have known Janata Dal United MLA Anant Singh for firing from an AK-47 rifle at a marriage function, his passion for horses and for attacking the media, but the hand that pulled the trigger now goes rat-a-tat on a laptop.

“We have got a lot of work to do. We need to keep a record of whatever funds have been given to us. And whenever we are asked how much work has been done, then we can show them immediately through the laptop,” JDU MLA Anant Singh said.

The transformation came after the Bihar government gifted a laptop each to all the 243 MLAs in the state. So, Munna Shukla, and several other politicians, who are always seen surrounded by guns, are now spotted checking emails and picking up computer skills.

“I am the strongman here and I should be knowing these things. I will soon learn how to operate a computer. One doesn’t know everything from birth. Life is a learning experience,” Shukla said.

There was a time when flaunting guns was a sign of prestige in this region but as times are changing, so is the culture. Laptops are replacing guns, and MLAs in Bihar are learning the relevance of the age-old saying – pen is mightier than the gun.

“It's a positive change for people or MLAs who have a criminal bent of mind,” MLA Shyam Rajak said.

Computers have taken a tad too long time to reach Bihar's MLAs, but as they say it's better late than never.