Patna: It was a hectic Monday for Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi - ducking a shoe and later the accusation that he was trying to "run out" his boss, Nitish Kumar, by sledging his cabinet colleagues.

"Nitish is my captain and he has given me the chance to bat, so I'm doing the batting and at a time, four players can't bat at the crease," Mr Manjhi told reporters at the weekly Janta Durbar - the public meeting he holds every Monday at his home in Patna.

Yesterday, accusing some of his cabinet colleagues of doubting his ability to perform, Mr Majhi had said some people say he was playing test cricket and others say One Day International and T20. "But I'll deliver on my promises irrespective of whatever version of the game I get to play," he had said.

"Only when I get bowled out, the Captain will think of replacement. But it remains to be seen whether I will get out or not," Mr Manjhi further said today.

Amid this, a man was arrested after he threw a shoe at the Chief Minister, which missed its mark. The man has been identified by the police as Amitesh, who is from Chhapra.

As he was being led away by the police, Amitesh reportedly alleged how his grievances had not been addressed despite attending the meeting for the last two years. The man was also accusing politicians of indulging in casteism, said Senior Superintendent of Police Jitendra Rana.

After initial interrogation, police sources said he had been involved in two cases. Once he had even been sent to jail for travelling on train without a ticket. It is possible that he is mentally disbalanced, an officer said.

The 'Janta Darbar' was started by Mr Manjhi's predecessor Nitish Kumar a few years ago, where the chief minister listens to grievances from the public.

Confirming that a slipper was indeed thrown, Mr Manjhi said an inquiry will "reveal the truth".

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Bihar Chief Minister Ducks Shoe, Bouncers on Nitish Kumar

MAIN MAN: The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's new head, Michael Thawley. Photo: Nic Walker

Ian Watt's departure as secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and his replacement by Ian Thawley mark the end of the Abbott government's first full year in office. What conclusions can we draw about its approach to senior appointments in the Australian Public Service?

Thawley's appointment, like that of John Fraser to Treasury (still to be officially confirmed), is in keeping with the government's stated aim of bringing the APS closer to the business community. Both come from high-profile private sector positions with first-hand experience of how business operates. However, both began their career as public servants and moved to the private sector only after extensive experience in major Canberra departments. Their appointment does not reflect any major shift to a United States-style pattern of appointing business people without any previous government experience to senior public service positions. Nor has the Abbott government turned its back on Canberra insiders, as the appointment of Jane Halton to the Finance Department attests. Similarly, the three secretaries dismissed immediately after the election were all replaced by career APS bureaucrats, not political appointees.

TREASURY-BOUND: John Fraser, who is likely to replace Martin Parkinson. Photo: Erin Jonasson

Thawley and Fraser will not seriously threaten the APS values of non-partisan professionalism. Indeed, they may help to strengthen these values. Unscarred by the dysfunctional pathologies of the Rudd era and its aftermath, they can bring fresh energy to the urgent task of rebuilding relationships between the public service and the political branch.

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Thawley, in his first public statement as secretary-elect, confirmed his support for a non-political public service, unlike the American system he observed at first hand as Australia's ambassador. He also stressed two further points: the importance of telling governments what they need to know, not what they want to know; and the need to maintain a good relationship between the department and the Prime Minister's office. Such sentiments will be most welcome to those Canberra watchers who have been dismayed at the growing gap between public servants and ministerial advisers, and at the increasing marginalisation of public service advice. Ministers, too, it has been hinted, have become impatient with officials who are unwilling to give their own firm views on policy matters. After years of being pressured to trim their advice to suit the inclinations of ministers' offices, many senior public servants seem to have lost the will to give independent opinions. The time-honoured pendulum between responsiveness and independence has swung too far towards responsiveness. Thawley may be the right person to help adjust the balance.

Thawley is reported to be on friendly terms with Prime Minister Tony Abbott's chief of staff, Peta Credlin, and her husband Brian Loughnane, which some hostile critics will see as evidence of undue partisan connection. But provided the distinctive roles are clearly understood and Thawley remains focused on tendering robust policy advice to the government, good personal relations will be a bonus, not a hindrance. The most pressing long-term need in present-day government is to let (or make) ministers pay serious attention to sound policy advice. The familiar catalogue of recent developments, including the 24-hour media cycle and the growth in numbers and influence of political advisers, is making this task ever harder. If Thawley can build an effective conduit for soundly based public service advice through his relationship with Credlin, so much the better.

The timing of Watt's retirement as PM&C secretary, though later than some had predicted, still fits a common pattern. Incoming prime ministers tend to rely on the incumbent secretary to manage the transition. Then, after finding their feet, they expect to make their own appointment of someone they find personally congenial. PM&C secretaries, in their turn, often leave willingly, having come to the end of a particularly intense and exhausting period of service to the previous regime. This practice works well, particularly after a change of government. It depends on the professionalism of the secretaries concerned, who need to be trusted to provide effective transitional support to a government opposed to the one they previously served.

To some extent, the practice is contrary to pure Westminster principle, which requires all public service positions to be appointed on strict merit without any political considerations and that all senior public servants should be expected to serve alternative governments. The breach is relatively minor, however, so long as it does not apply to other secretary positions. Any notion that all incumbent secretaries should retire gracefully to allow incoming ministers to choose their own appointees would be a serious assault on the conventions of a politically neutral, professional public service. A partial exemption can be made in the case of the government's chief policy adviser, provided that the individuals chosen are sufficiently non-partisan to be trusted, if called on, with handling a transition to a new government. (Of secretaries in recent memory, only Max Moore-Wilton fails to meet that test, because of his open partisan identification with John Howard and the Coalition.)

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Michael Thawley: the delicate dance awaiting Prime Minister and Cabinet's new secretary

Cabinet secretary Sir Robert Armstrong set out his increasing disquiet Warned in 1986 memo that corners were being cut in the City Money was being made in ways at least bordering on the unscrupulous Critics claim reforms paved the way for the loadsamoney era Also sowed seeds of 2007 financial crisis which led to economic downturn

By Claire Ellicott and David Wilkes for the Daily Mail

Published: 05:21 EST, 30 December 2014 | Updated: 10:01 EST, 30 December 2014

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Margaret Thatcher was warned that her financial sector reforms would lead to a new culture of unscrupulous practices in the City, according to newly-released government papers.

Her most senior official, Cabinet secretary Sir Robert Armstrong, set out his increasing disquiet about the things that people think are going on in the City.

He said that a bubble was being created that would be pricked and said that corners were being cut and money made in ways that are at least bordering on the unscrupulous.

Margaret Thatcher was warned that her financial sector reforms would lead to a new culture of unscrupulous practices in the City in the 1980s

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Thatcher was warned Big Bang reform of the City would create a bubble that could be 'pricked' by 'unscrupulous' bankers

Weeks before his second term starts, Gov. John Hickenlooper's administration is far from complete.

The Democrat is missing a chief of staff and scrambling to fill five Cabinet positions in an administration that looks far different from the close-knit team that helped propel his first term.

Half of the Cabinet that took office with Hickenlooper in 2011 is gone, along with a number of key aides.

The transition of key officials between terms is not unusual, but the delays in filling the positions may prove problematic. Hickenlooper initially hoped to fill the significant hole left by the departure of Chief of Staff Roxane White by the first week in December, but the post remains open. Kevin Patterson, a longtime adviser, is currently serving as interim chief of staff.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper talks about the recent elections, and his second term from his office at the state capitol on Monday, November 24, 2014. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

The void is troublesome for the governor ahead of a wild-card legislative session where budget questions, controversial issues such as fracking and split partisan control of the chamber will create complications.

"The start of the legislative session is not much more than two weeks away, and the governor's office is missing its key person," said Eric Sondermann, a Denver-based political analyst.

White, who was Hickenlooper's closest aide and a holdover from his Denver mayoral administration, announced her resignation in June and left in November.

Ben Davis, a Democratic consultant close to the administration, said White "had a direct impact on every accomplishment."

"She is the most hands-on chief of staff I've ever worked with," he said. "She was a huge, huge part of the first four years, and I think this change is significant."

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Hickenlooper short five key hires for new Cabinet

With the ruling parties' overwhelming victory in the Dec14 lower house election having put wind in its sails, the third Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has started.

Although it seems to be getting under way in a stable manner, a money-and-politics scandal is smoldering in the Cabinet even after the replacement of former Defence Minister Akinori Eto, who was embroiled in a political funds scandal.

The Cabinet also has piles of problems to overcome, including measures to boost the flagging economy and preparing the legal framework to allow the nation to exercise the right of collective self-defence in limited situations.

The change of the defence minister came from Eto's strong intention to resign, according to sources.

"I can't cause trouble with my scandal over political funds while I am assigned to be engaged in the historical security legislation." Visiting Abe in mid-December, Eto opened up his talk with such a phrase. He timed the revelation of his intention for shortly after the latest election.

At the extraordinary Diet session held in September shortly after he assumed the post, Eto was severely questioned by opposition parties about a scandal in which he reportedly revised the political funds reports of his funds management organisation.

It was easy to imagine Eto would be barraged with questions again at an ordinary Diet session to be convened at the beginning of the next year.

The prime minister tried to persuade him to stay in his post, saying, "It should be fine."

Nevertheless, Eto's decision to resign was firm, according to sources.

Some opposition party members claim that Eto's resignation was the third example of a replacement regarding a money-and-politics scandal, following the double resignations of Justice Minister Midori Matsushima and Economy, and Trade and Industry Minister Yuko Obuchi.

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Money-politics scandals smolder in new Japanese Cabinet

TOKYO Shinzo Abe took office Wednesday for a third term as Japan's prime minister, appointing a former military officer as his defense minister but keeping the other members of his previous Cabinet.

Parliament re-elected Abe after his Liberal Democratic Party won a renewed mandate in a Dec. 14 snap election that the prime minister said was needed for him to carry out further economic and political reforms.

Abe said economic recovery is vital to achieving his key policy goals such as stronger national security and carrying out the most drastic reforms of the economy since World War II.

"My commitment to protecting public safety, lives and happiness is unchanged," Abe said in a late night news conference "We must, of course, deal with many issues, but nothing can be accomplished without a strong economy."

Gen Nakatani, Abe's new defense minister, headed the Defense Agency in 2001-2002 under former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, before it won full-fledged ministry status. A graduate of the National Defense Academy, he attained a rank of first lieutenant before leaving the military.

Nakatani favors a stronger role for the military, which is constrained by the country's commitment to pacifism under the constitution drafted by the American occupation forces following Japan's defeat in World War II.

Nakatani said Abe specifically asked him to tackle "national security in order to protect Japanese territory, the people's lives and properties."

This time, "I feel more strongly about my responsibility," he said. "Japan's security environment has changed, and we must fortify our national security."

Nakatani's predecessor, Akinori Eto, was one of several ministers whose political funding reports were questioned by opposition lawmakers during the recent parliamentary session. Two resigned their Cabinet posts but were re-elected anyway.

Abe favors revising the constitution as part of his effort to fortify Japan's military, after already revising policies to allow the defense forces to aid allies if they come under attack under a policy dubbed "collective self-defense." Analysts said Abe likely wanted a stronger figure to help handle anticipated fierce questioning over defense-related issues in upcoming parliamentary debates.

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Japan parliament preparing to re-elect Abe as prime minister

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed a former soldier and security veteran as his new defense minister, as he prepares to push through legislation to toughen the countrys military stance amid a dispute with China.

Gen Nakatani, 57, was appointed to the post today, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo. All other cabinet members will remain in their current posts, Suga said.

He served as head of the defense agency in 2001-2002 before it was upgraded to a ministry in 2007. He was the first former military official to reach that position, having served for about five years in the Ground Self-Defense Force before entering politics.

He is a former member of the self-defense forces, so he understands security from the ground level and he has been closely involved in policy issues, said Tetsuo Kotani, senior research fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs in Tokyo. I wouldnt categorize him either as a hawk or a dove. I would say hes a realist.

The replacement of Akinori Eto, who was criticized in parliament in October over alleged financial impropriety, comes as Abe seeks to pass a series of bills to back up his reinterpretation of the pacifist constitution. Polls show the change, which allows Japan to defend other countries, is unpopular with the public.

Shinzo Abe, president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), center, is applauded as he is re-elected Japan's prime minister at the lower house of the Diet in Tokyo on Dec. 24, 2014. Close

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Shinzo Abe, president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), center, is applauded as he is re-elected Japan's prime minister at the lower house of the Diet in Tokyo on Dec. 24, 2014.

This is to ensure the security of the Japanese people, Nakatani wrote on his website on the legislation. The understanding and support of the people is needed above all.

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Abe Brings in Former Soldier Nakatani as Defense Minister

By Elaine Kurtenbach The Associated Press

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives at his official residence in Tokyo Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014. Japan was preparing Wednesday to name Abe to his next term in office following his party's victory in a Dec. 14 snap election. Abe's Cabinet disbanded early in the day as a ritual first step. The parliament was to convene in the afternoon to elect Abe as prime minister. Abe is due to then appoint a new cabinet. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

TOKYO Japans parliament re-elected Shinzo Abe on Wednesday to serve another term as prime minister after his party won a snap election earlier this month.

Abe won 328 votes out of the 470 cast by lawmakers in a special session of the lower house Wednesday. Since the ruling Liberal Democrats hold only two lower house seats, two other lawmakers also cast votes for Abe.

Following a similar vote by the upper house, Abe will name his cabinet, replacing only his defence minister. The cabinet members are then to be presented in a formal ceremony to Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace.

The victory by the ruling Liberal Democrats and their coalition partner the Komei Party was viewed as an endorsement by the public of Abes strategies for reviving Japans stagnant economy, despite a record low turnout.

Former Defence Minister Akinori Eto was among cabinet ministers appointed in a reshuffle in early September. He was one of several ministers whose political funding reports were questioned by opposition lawmakers during the recent parliamentary session. Two resigned their cabinet posts but were re-elected anyway.

The questions over political finance pulled Abes popularity ratings lower and were likely a factor in his decision to call the snap election.

Analysts said Etos handling of the questions was seen as too weak, and that Abe planned to appoint a stronger figure to help handle anticipated fierce questioning over defence-related issues in the next years parliamentary debate.

Local media said Gen Nakatani was viewed as the likely replacement for Eto. Nakatani served as defence minister under former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and supports a stronger role for Japans military, which is constrained by the countrys commitment to pacifism under the constitution drafted by the American occupation forces following Japans defeat in World War II.

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Japan parliament re-elects Abe as prime minister

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New Mexico Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson was appointed secretary of the Children, Youth and Families Department on Monday by Gov. Susana Martinez. She will replace Yolanda Deines, who has held the post since Martinez took office in 2011. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal)

SANTA FE Gov. Susana Martinez made more changes to her Cabinet on Monday, including shifting the states tourism chief to the helm of the Children, Youth and Families Department. One Democratic legislative leader reacted with skepticism, while another praised the appointees management skills.

Preparing to begin her second term, the Republican governor said Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson will bring a strong management background to CYFD, an agency that has faced criticism in recent years for its handling of high-profile child abuse cases.

Her strong intellect and impeccable management skills will serve the agency well, and she is a leader who is well-known for producing results, Martinez said in a statement.

Jacobson is a Taos native who worked in corporate marketing before taking a state government job. She will take the CYFD reins from Yolanda Deines, who had held the job since Martinez took office in 2011.

Senate Democratic Whip Michael Padilla of Albuquerque called the announcement a shocker and predicted Jacobson will face questions during the Senate confirmation process about relevant work experience.

I wasnt aware that she had a background in child protective services or any of the other duties of the department, said Padilla, who praised Jacobsons work at the Tourism Department. Its absolutely vital, and I think thats going to be one of her biggest challenges.

Padilla has sponsored several CYFD-related bills in recent years and said he plans to introduce legislation during the coming 60-day session that would make the department a standalone agency.

However, Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, said Jacobsons management skills likely outweigh her social work rsum, or lack of one.

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Governor picks tourism secretary to run CYFD

Tony Abbott announces his cabinet reshuffle in Canberra. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Scott Morrison will become social services minister and take charge of a families package and ongoing welfare crackdown while defence minister David Johnston has been dumped from cabinet by Tony Abbott in a bigger than expected ministerial shake-up.

The prime minister has also elevated Sussan Ley to the health and sport portfolio and into cabinet where she will become the second woman on his frontbench alongside Julie Bishop.

The current social services minister, Kevin Andrews, will move to defence and the current health minister, Peter Dutton who the prime minister described as a tough, no nonsense individual will take over immigration and border security.

Morrison was understood to have been disappointed having sought the defence portfolio in the reshuffle. In his announcement Tony Abbott stressed Morrisons role in social services would be central to the governments hopes for a political revival in the new year by putting jobs and families at the heart of our political agenda, as well as to its plans for budget repair.

The minister [is] responsible for crafting the holistic families package which will be such an important part of our political and economic agenda, Abbott said as he announced the first major changes to the ministerial arrangements since opposition.

He said Morrison would be responsible for ensuring mutual obligation was at the heart of social services policy and said targeting welfare to the vulnerable was an ongoing program Fit working-age people should be working, preferably for a wage, but if not then for the dole.

I can think of no finer advocate than Scott Morrison, he is the master of difficult policy as he has abundantly demonstrated in all but stopping the boats over the last 15 months, Abbott said. He is also a very decent human being.

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Tony Abbott cabinet reshuffle moves Scott Morrison out of immigration