Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Rabri Devi on Wednesday accused chief minister Nitish Kumar of coming to the Assembly under the influence of bhaang and disrespecting women.
Nitish denied the allegation and drew attention to the questionable performance of the previous RJD government on women’s development.
Nitish has been targeting former chief minister Rabri, the leader of the Opposition, during the ongoing budget session.
On Wednesday, Rabri alleged that the chief minister was “anti-women” and no substantial work for women has been done in Bihar under his leadership.
“Nitish Kumar bhangeri hain. Bhaang pi kar aate hain House mein. Ant-shant bolte hain mahilaon ko aur unka apmaan karte hain. Poore Bihar ke mahilaon ko aur humko bhi sadan mein beizzat karte hain (Nitish is addicted to bhaang. He consumes it and comes to the House. He talks rubbish and insults the women of Bihar and me),” Rabri told reporters.
Retorting to repeated claims by Nitish that there was no development in Bihar prior to 2005, Rabri said: “He alleges that nobody wore clothes in Bihar before 2005? I want to ask him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether the mothers and sisters in their homes used to wear clothes before 2005. Take out the files and see what development was done by us. Was Nitish born in 2005 and Modi in 2014? People should say whether they ventured out to markets before 2005 or not.”
Rabri alleged that a group of half-a-dozen people were always surrounding Nitish and goading him to say whatever they wanted to.
“Nitish is sitting in the lap of the BJP. The coterie of Union minister Lalan Singh, JDU executive president Sanjay Jha and state ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Ashok Choudhary are behind whatever he says. They are out to destroy him,” Rabri asserted and added that she would boycott the Upper House for the day.
With other RJD MLCs supporting their leader’s remarks, Nitish shot back: “Her husband (Lalu Prasad) made her the chief minister when he relinquished the post. Did any work happen for women? They did not even educate women. Most of them could not study beyond Class V. You are trapped among these (RJD) people and don’t know anything. These people were doing wrong things, so Ileft them.”
“And how much have we done? Do you know how women have surged ahead? People could not step out in the evening, now men and women are out till so late. Our work should be published prominently. You all have not done anything and just keep speaking nonsense,” Nitish added.
He pointed to the numerous welfare schemes for women and reservation for them in local self-governance bodies and government jobs.
The chief minister’s attack led to a walkout of the Mahagathbandhan MLCs. They were led by Rabri.
The repercussions of the spat were felt in the Assembly and the Opposition led by RJD leader and Rabri’s younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav protested the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
The Opposition staged a walkout from the Assembly after shouting slogans over the rising crime graph in Bihar. It demanded Nitish’s resignation.
“Nitish Kumar should resign. He should go to an ashram because he cannot run the government. The 14 crore people of Bihar should worry about themselves because their fate is in the hands of a person who is mentally unstable. I pray for his speedy recovery,” Tejashwitold reporters.
“He (Nitish) reserves his wrath for women. He has no respect for the first women chief minister of Bihar. He keeps belittling RJD president Lalu Prasad, who is a much senior leader than him and helped him retain power twice earlier,” Tejashwi added.
Nitish had previously attacked Rabri on March 7, after losing his cool on an RJD MLC questioning the status of education of girls in therural areas.
