Patna, March 15: A 26-year-old newbie legislator got into a quarrel with a legislator with 26 years of experience in the House much to the shock of the Legislative Council today.

The men in question were Tej Pratap, the eldest son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and the minister for health, environment and forests and minor water resources, and Sushil Kumar Modi, the Leader of Opposition in the Upper House who first became a legislator in 1990.

The quarrel broke out between the two as Tej was replying to a query on the purchase of medicines for government hospitals and their availability listed by BJP MLC Mangal Pandey.

The health minister said the purchase process had been finalised for 22 important drugs and they would be supplied next month. Tenders for the remaining are in the pipeline, he said adding that the hospitals have been directed to buy the necessary medicines at the local level.

Dissatisfied with the answer, Sushil said the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited, mandated to purchase the drugs, has failed to do so for the past two years. "Altogether 145 types of drugs are needed in district hospitals and 212 drugs in medical college hospitals, but the government has finalised the prices and purchase of only 22 drugs," said Sushil. "When will the prices and purchase of the remaining 190 drugs be finalised? When will be they bought? This is worrisome."

To the surprise of the other legislators present in House, Tej sprang up and told Sushil: "You need not worry. We are worrying about it, so you should not." Former chief minister and Tej's mother Rabri Devi was also present in the House as the verbal duel broke out.

As the senior BJP leader asserted it was his right to worry about things concerning the public, Tej hit back with a retort: "It was during the time of your party's health minister Ashwini Choubey that the drug scam happened and now we are facing so many problems. The type of policy you follow is not allowing Bihar to progress."

Sushil, who has consistently highlighted the drug purchase scam, pointed out that the scandal broke out at a time chief minister Nitish Kumar was holding charge of the health department. The mention of Nitish had JDU legislators Neeraj Kumar and Ranveer Nandan and Congress MLC Dilip Kumar Chaudhary up in arms.

A ruling alliance MLC later said: "The way Tej spoke to such a senior leader like Sushil does not augur well. He was plain aggressive in his words and gestures. Wish Lalu and Rabri Devi, both of whom served as chief ministers, give him a good legislative training."

Sushil shrugged off Tej's attitude but said the government had failed to answer.