JOIN USJD (U) legislator Manoj Kumar Kushwaha represents Kudhani in Muzaffarpur.
The piquant situation arose when Kushwaha went to greet his in-laws in the sleepy hamlet of Karma on the occasion of Holi.
The legislator, who was in “high spirits,” rubbed his in-laws the wrong way.
Taking umbrage to his drunken state, they not only roughed up their high-profile son-in-law, but also assaulted his associates. Even fellow villagers joined Kushwaha’s in-laws in thrashing the ruling party legislator. The heated exchange of words and fisticuffs between the MLA and his in-laws continued for more than half-an-hour.
Throughout the whole drama, Kushwaha’s security guards stood there as mute spectators.
Fearing threat to his life, and embarrassed to the hilt, the legislator eventually thought it prudent to beat a hasty retreat.
“Had I not escaped from there, the mob would have set my vehicle on fire,” said the MLA, showing no sign of remorse for his act. Muzaffarpur SP Sunil Kumar, however, confirmed that the legislator was manhandled in full public view.
FIR lodged
Kushwaha, while denying that he was drunk, later lodged an FIR against several people, including his two brothers-in-law—Uday and Vijay—for assaulting him. Since the MLA belonged to the ruling party, the police swung into action and arrested the duo.
Kushwaha is the second legislator from the JD (U) to embarrass Nitish with wayward behaviour.
Last week, a drunk MLA Shyam Bahadur Singh was found to be dancing with bar girls and gyrating on the eve of a party rally in Patna.
Though the MLA, who represents Jiradei—the birth place of country’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad—later apologised, he was served a show-cause notice for “spoiling the image of the party and the government.”