Bihar council witnesses spat between CM Nitish Kumar and female opposition members

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday lost his temper inside the state legislative council when an opposition RJD member flagged the issue of the "inadequate number" of girls' schools in her area.

The MLC Urmila Thakur was expressing her dissatisfaction over the reply given by Education Minister Sunil Kumar to a question she had raised before the House.

Thakur cited the example of her Begusarai district where "in many villages, girls are deprived of education as reaching the nearest school requires them to walk four to five kilometers".

Kumar, who prides himself on having promoted women's empowerment in a patriarchal state, grew irritated and said, while still sitting in his seat: "Do you people even know what we have done for girls' education? Village girls hardly went to schools in Bihar until we came to power."

Thakur said to the CM, "Sir please do not say that. I too hail from a village. I belong to an older generation, yet I did complete my schooling."

Another RJD MLC Munni Devi Rajak rose and, addressing the septuagenarian leader of the House, said, "We have the right to question the government. It is your job to answer it." Sensing trouble, Thakur then urged Rajak to keep quiet and let her speak.

However, Kumar rose and lashed out at the opposition, saying: "You have no idea what has been done by us for women. You may be women yourselves but what has been your contribution?" The chief minister then launched a frontal attack on Rabri Devi, his predecessor who is now the leader of the opposition in the Upper House.

"When her husband began to sink, he installed his wife (in the CM’s post),” recalling the circumstances in which Rabri Devi had succeeded her husband Lalu Prasad, the RJD president, as the chief minister.

Prasad made his wife the chief minister when he was forced to resign as the CM after an arrest warrant was issued against him in a fodder scam case.

"Your party (RJD) did nothing. You people know nothing. Whatever has been done for women, it has been done by me. Now women have no problems," fumed Kumar, before taking his seat.

The education minister looked bewildered at the exchange of words and order was restored after Chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh rose in his seat, urging the opposition members to relent.

Later, after the CM had gone out of the House, RJD MLC Sunil Kumar Singh flagged the disrespectful manner in which the CM had said "iske (her) husband" and urged the Chairman to expunge the remark from the proceedings of the House.

"Her husband is such a giant leader who is known to all. The manner in which the leader of the House spoke of him was uncalled for," alleged the MLC.

However, the Chairman was of the view that the remark did not deserve expunction since there was "nothing unparliamentary".