PATNA: The Bihar Assembly on Thursday witnessed uproarious scenes after an RJD MLA threatened to occupy the seat allotted to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, protesting the seating arrangement in the House. The disruption prompted the Speaker to summon marshals and adjourn the session ahead of schedule.
The incident occurred shortly after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar exited the House following the question hour. Senior RJD leader Alok Mehta objected to rebel MLAs from his party occupying seats on the ruling side, demanding proper seating arrangements. He warned that chaos would ensue if MLAs were allowed to sit wherever they pleased.
In solidarity, Opposition MLAs from the RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), CPI, and CPI(M) entered the well of the House, escalating tensions.
Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav issued a stern warning to RJD MLA Bhai Virendra after he approached the CM's seat and appeared as if he was about to sit in it. "Don't do this. It would lead to serious consequences," the Speaker cautioned.
Though marshals were summoned, the Speaker chose to adjourn the House instead of ordering Virendra's removal.
Later, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav met with the Speaker in his chamber to discuss the seating arrangements and the unresolved disqualification petitions for rebel MLAs. Speaking to the media, Tejashwi criticized the Speaker's inaction on his petition seeking the disqualification of seven MLAs five from the RJD and two from the Congress who defected to the NDA during the budget session.
Tejashwi described the decision to allow these MLAs to sit on the ruling side as "arbitrary" and stated that the Speaker had assured him the matter would be addressed soon.
Meanwhile, RJD MLA Bhai Virendra clarified his actions, stating that he had no intention of occupying the CM's seat but merely wanted to make a point. He urged the Speaker to either disqualify the rebel MLAs or direct them to sit on the opposition side.