PATNA: Bihar Legislative Council on Monday witnessed sharp exchanges between Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Upper House, Rabri Devi, over the suspicious death of a NEET aspirant in Patna and the rape of a six-year-old girl in Darbhanga.
Amid the uproar, CM Nitish stood up and strongly reprimanded the Opposition, particularly targeting members of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), including former chief minister Rabri Devi.
Targeting RJD, Nitish said, “When they (RJD) were in power, they did not do any work. They did nothing for women.”
Nitish contended that the state’s development began after NDA came to power in 2005. “After we came to power in 2005, all-round development of Bihar has taken place, and the state is progressing on all fronts,” he asserted.
The Upper House witnessed noisy scene as soon as the proceedings started.
RJD MLCs targeted the state government over the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Darbhanga and the suspicious death of a NEET aspirant in Patna and demanded the government’s reply on it.
Leader of opposition and RJD member Rabri Devi demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was present in the House.
She alleged that there was not a single district in Bihar where girls were safe, as the Opposition members started raising slogans against the CM. Rabri Devi also accused BJP member Devesh Kumar of using abusive language against her and demanded an apology from him.
Upon this, Nitish rose from his chair and accused RJD of not doing anything when they were in power, asking whether they had ever sent girls to schools. “You people have done nothing. You only know how to create a ruckus. And these three women who are making noise — what do they know? Do they know anything at all?” he asked.
Pointing towards Rabri Devi, he said, "What does this girl know?" His comments prompted RJD members to create a ruckus in the house.
RJD members also entered into the well of the House when CM was speaking.
The deputy chairman, who was in the Chair, tried to bring normalcy to the House as some formalities were completed before the House was adjourned.
After the House was adjourned for the day, RJD wrote the chairman of the house, demanding an apology from BJP MLC Thakur.
Meanwhile, Rabri Devi’s daughter Rohini Acharya wrote on ‘X’, "It has become a habit for the Honourable chief minister to cross the boundaries of parliamentary language etiquette.”
“Dozens of times, chief minister has used indecent language in the House and on public platforms, especially in reference to women. Looking at the chief minister's statements and remarks over the past few years, it is clear that he suffers from mental and ideological frustration towards women, and his statements regarding respect for women are merely political and electoral posturing,” she added.