Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on July 25 (Friday) slammed the opposition members in both Houses of the state legislature for wearing black dresses as a mark of protest against special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
The 75-year-old Kumar, the longest serving CM of the state, lost his temper on the final day of the monsoon session, which has been marred by repeated protests against the Bihar electoral exercise, which, the opposition alleges, was aimed at "helping" the NDA win the upcoming assembly elections.
In the legislative council, of which the CM himself is a member, the MLCs shouted slogans against the special intensive revision (SIR) as well as the state government.
Leader of the opposition Rabri Devi, a former chief minister, had told reporters before commencement of proceedings, "Yesterday, there was an attack on Tejashwi Yadav [her son] inside the assembly. All legislators in the state are now fearing for their lives".
On Thursday, his barbs had left the ruling side infuriated, and many of them had entered the well, nearly coming to blows with the opposition. One BJP MLA was seen ripping off the mic attached to his desk and charging towards the opposition.
Later, Yadav claimed that the legislator was "coming to attack me but I was saved by my party colleagues. Let the BJP get me killed if it so desires. I shall put no defence. I am willing to even surrender my licensed firearm".
Inside the legislative council, as soon as proceedings commenced at noon, opposition members began protesting Thursday's incident in the assembly, with chants of "rajya sarkaar hai hai" (down with the state government).
Chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh tried to pacify the legislators with the jocular remark, "If you keep shouting hai hai here, you may end up doing hai hai after the elections as well." Assembly polls in the state are likely to be announced in about a couple of months from now.
After a few minutes, Kumar sprang to his feet and screamed, "You all are shouting hai hai. A chant of khaay khaay (eat, eat) would have served you better".
The allusion was to corruption, of which the JD(U) supremo has been accusing the RJD, especially while defending his decision to snap ties and return to the BJP-led NDA twice in the last decade.
Kumar also kept casting glances at the media gallery above, in an apparent bid to ensure that journalists took note and reported about the opposition's unruly behaviour.
He fumed, "You people have been coming here dressed in black. What does this mean? You have never done anything sensible. It is the last day of the session, and you are wasting time".
Pointing towards Rabri Devi, the chief minister said, "She might have given an instruction and all of you, those in her party as well as allies, chose to follow and come here in black dresses. When did you dress up like this before?
With inputs from PTI
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
