Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar faced criticism from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday after an outburst directed at some women members of the state assembly. The incident occurred during a protest by Opposition members demanding the inclusion of the state’s amended reservation laws in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar looses cool n Bihar assemble!
As women MLAs chanted slogans against Kumar, accusing him of being anti-reservation, he reacted angrily. The MLAs were shouting, “Nitish Kumar Hai Hai (down with Nitish Kumar).” Nitish, clearly irritated by the accusation, responded by asserting that women in Bihar began receiving their rights only after he became chief minister.
VIDEO | CM Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) speaks in #Bihar Assembly amid protest by the opposition.
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/FLW0fUkbAD
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 24, 2024
Pointing his finger at the legislators, particularly at Rekha Devi of the RJD, Kumar shouted, “You are a woman. Do you realize that it was only after I assumed power that women started getting their dues in Bihar? You are a woman, yet you do not know anything. If you say Hai Hai to me, then it’s Hai Hai for all.”
Nitish Kumar also reminded the assembly that it was at his urging that they agreed to a caste survey, which led to increased quotas for SC, ST, OBCs, and the extremely backward classes.
The RJD, Bihar’s main Opposition party, condemned Kumar’s behavior, accusing him of disrespecting women. Senior RJD leader Rabri Devi described his conduct as a sheer insult to women. “This is not the first time the CM has behaved in this manner. People know he has no respect for women. What he did today in the assembly is a clear insult,” she said. Devi also claimed that leaders of the ruling NDA do not respect women, unlike the leaders of the INDIA bloc.
RJD MLA Rekha Devi echoed these sentiments, accusing Kumar of insulting her and suggesting that he had lost control of his mind. “What Nitish Kumar ji said today in the assembly is insulting to a woman… We are here today because of our leader and party supremo Lalu Prasad and not because of Nitish Kumar. He has insulted a Dalit legislator today in the house. It seems that he has no control over his mind,” she said.
