BJP walks out from Assembly to protest reply by minister

Opposition BJP today staged walkout thrice in the Bihar Assembly and later trooped into the well of the House to protest replies to questions on departments held by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by a minister in-charge.

Continuing with its protest, BJP legislators rose from their seats and strongly protested when Rural Works Department Minister Bhim Singh rose to give reply to a question of Road Construction Department presently held by the CM.

They walked out from the House, saying the minister-in-charge's reply held no importance. Similar situation arose on two more occasions during Question Hour on questions related to the Road Construction Department.

The CM was not present in the House. Before the end of Question Hour, the BJP members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans against the government.

Leader of the Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav said there was no point in hearing reply by a minister in-charge in place of the CM who holds the department.

Before the start of the winter session, BJP had announced boycotting the House if answers regarding departments held by the CM was given by minister in-charge instead of the CM.

After split in NDA, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is presently holding 18 departments.

The BJP has been alleging that governance was suffering because of non-expansion of the Cabinet. But, the CM countered the charge saying there have been BJP CMs who are holding more departments than him.

This issue had yesterday brought the CM and his former Deputy Sushil Kumar Modi face to face in the Legislative Council.

The CM had told Modi that this had happened even when he was part of the government and he or some other minister had replied in his place in the past. But, the argument did not cut any ice with the BJP members who walked out from the Council yesterday.