Bihar legislative Assembly on Wednesday witnessed an unprecedented spat between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his predecessor Rabri Devi as the two septuagenarians engaged in a no-holds-barred attack against each other to be joined by an aggressive Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav. While Rabri accused the chief minister of having come to the House after consuming “bhang” (cannabis), Tejashwi, a former deputy CM under Nitish, demanded the resignation of the JDU leader whom he charged with “gesticulating at female legislators”. Trouble began when Shashi Yadav, an MLC of the CPI(ML), an RJD ally, rose in her chair to submit before the House that she was not satisfied with the government’s reply to her question. Nitish Kumar, who is also a MLC, reacted remarked the NDA government led by him is doing so much as compared to earlier governments which did nothing.
Rabri, the leader of the opposition in legislative council, intervened saying “You claim no work was done before you took over. Please summon the records of that period. You will understand better.”
Nitish, who had demonstrated his quick temper before the House earlier this week, sprang to his feet and vehemently began to reiterate his point. Rabri Devi reacted with the taunt, “According to you, women did not even wear clothes before 2005, when you became the chief minister.” The allusion was to a faux pas made by the JD(U) president more than once in recent past, while trying to underscore his push for empowering women.
Bihar CM, however, dug in his heels, dismissed the charge by the opposition that he was disrespectful towards women.
“Never before have women got so much of respect as they are getting now and pointed towards Rabri Devi with the remark, “What did they do for women? Her husband made her the chief minister when he ran into trouble.”
Notably, Rabri Devi first became the chief minister in 1997 when her husband Lalu Prasad, the RJD president, had to resign, following a CBI charge-sheet in the fodder scam. The heated exchange caused Chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh to rise and appeal to the opposition to let the House run.
However, the opposition led by Rabri Devi staged a walkout, even as Nitish continued with a brief monologue, accusing the RJD of having been soft on perpetrators of Hindu-Muslim riots because of caste affinity.
He also regretted having tied up with RJD twice and said, “I am back with my old partners (BJP). Now we shall remain together and continue with our good work.” Speaking to reporters outside the House, Rabri Devi alleged, “Nitish Kumar comes to the assembly under the influence of ‘bhang’. He misbehaves with women. Today, he has insulted me for the second time.”
“He speaks as if he himself was born in 2005, just like his ally Prime Minister Narendra Modi pretends as if he came into this world in 2014. The two leaders should tell us what is meant by women did not wear clothes in the past?” asked the ex-CM, visibly beside herself.
“The CM is sitting on the lap of the BJP which has its moles acting as his confidants. We have staged a walkout and we will boycott the House till Nitish Kumar does not give up insulting women,” Rabri said.
She was joined by Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the assembly, who came to express solidarity with his mother and others who were feeling wronged. Yadav claimed he felt “pity” for his ex-boss, who was “clearly not normal” in terms of his behaviour in public.
“Nitish ji gesticulates at the ‘bindi’ my mother wears on her forehead. I have seen him gesticulating in a similar fashion at his own female ministers and legislators. He loses control in the presence of women. He should resign and, maybe, set up an ashram and spend his time giving discourses,” Yadav said.
The young leader also recounted incidents of Kumar “falling at the feet” of leaders like the PM and local BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and “making ministers in his cabinet literally bump their heads together”.
Yadav also claimed the JD(U) supremo could not hold a candle to Lalu Prasad who was “elected to Parliament in 1977 when Nitish ji, despite the wave in favour of Janata Party, lost his assembly election”. “Nitish ji has no courage. He cannot speak against BJP MLA Hari Bhushan Thakur Bachaul who is asking Muslims to stay indoors on Holi. He switches alliances often but he does so not by sacking those from the party he severes ties with, but by resigning himself and then begging for support,” Yadav alleged.
