Sonia, Patil Visit Flood-hit Areas in Bihar
Patna: Aug. 7, 2007
 Central Home Minister Shivraj Patil, after conducting an air-survey of nine flood-hit districts in Bihar with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other UPA leaders on Tuesday, assured the state government of all central help saying money was no problem for a 'devastation of this magnitude'.
"I have seen the destruction caused by flood in Bihar with my own eyes and I have told the Chief Minister to continue relief work in the state while the Central government will make sure there is no shortage of funds," Patil said.
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was also part of the team that surveyed flood-affected areas in Bihar along with Gandhi and Patil.
 Before leaving for air-survey, the state government apprised the Central ministers of the current situation in Bihar. In a meeting at the Governor's House that lasted nearly an hour, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar himself appealed to the Home Minister to ensure central funding reaches Bihar on time to save lives and cattle in the state.
Attempting to derive maximum mileage from north Bihar's devastation, RJD chief blasted the Nitish government for its 'utter failure' in coping with flood problem.
"This government has done too little, too late in providing relief to the flood victims. Now it is up to us to ensure relief operation is not hampered in the lack of adequate funds," Yadav said at a press conference following the meeting at Raj Bhawan.
LJP president and Union Minister also criticized the Nitish government of ignoring flood problem in Bihar "in spite of the fact that flood in Bihar is an annual quandary".
 Earlier, a special aircraft carrying Gandhi and Patil arrived at Purnia's Chunapur army airport at 2:15 pm. Sharing the same aircraft, Yadav and Paswan arrived at 11:00 am while Chief Minister Nitish Kumar arrived separately and held a brief meeting with his own officials and cabinet members.
After flying over flooded regions in Bihar, the UPA team met with flood victims at Samastipur's Patel Maidan and listened to their complaints.
While throughout her visit, Gandhi hardly uttered a word in public, Patil, Paswan, and Yadav countered any criticism from the public saying more relief was on its way and the UPA government was with them all the way in this time of extreme difficulty.
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