After spat with Nitish Kumar, Rabri Devi alleges CM 'high on cannabis'
Patna, Mar 12 (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday came under a no-holds-barred attack from the opposition RJD after he engaged in a verbal duel with his predecessor Rabri Devi inside the state legislative council.
An unprecedented spat was witnessed between the two septuagenarians after which Rabri Devi staged a walkout and accused the chief minister of having come to the House after consuming "bhang" (cannabis) while her son Tejashwi Yadav, a former deputy CM, demanded the resignation of his ex-boss whom he charged with "gesticulating at female legislators".
Trouble began when Shashi Yadav, an MLC of the CPI(ML), an RJD ally, rose in her chair to submit before the House that she was not satisfied with the government's reply to her question.
Kumar, who is also a member of the upper house, reacted, while still seated, with the remark, "The government is doing so much. The earlier governments did nothing."
This irked Rabri Devi, the leader of the opposition, who rose to intervene, saying "You claim no work was done before you took over. Please summon the records of that period. You will understand better."
Kumar, who had demonstrated his quick temper before the House earlier this week, sprang to his feet and vehemently began to reiterate his point.
Rabri Devi reacted with the taunt, "According to you, women did not even wear clothes before 2005, when you became the chief minister."
The allusion was to a faux pas made by the JD(U) president more than once in recent past, while trying to underscore his push for empowering women.
Kumar, however, dug in his heels, dismissed the charge by the opposition that he was disrespectful towards women.
"Never before have women got so much of respect as they are getting now," asserted the CM who also twisted the knife by pointing towards Rabri Devi, with the remark, "What did they do for women? Her husband made her the chief minister when he ran into trouble."
Notably, Rabri Devi first became the chief minister in 1997 when her husband Lalu Prasad, the RJD president, had to resign, following a CBI charge-sheet in the fodder scam.
The heated exchange caused Chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh to rise and appeal to the opposition to let the House run.
However, the opposition led by Rabri Devi staged a walkout, even as Kumar continued with a brief monologue, accusing the RJD of having been soft on perpetrators of Hindu-Muslim riots because of caste affinity.
He also regretted having tied up with RJD twice and said, "I am back with my old partners (BJP). Now we shall remain together and continue with our good work."
Speaking to reporters outside the House, Rabri Devi alleged, "Nitish Kumar comes to the assembly under the influence of 'bhang'. He misbehaves with women. Today, he has insulted me for the second time."
"He speaks as if he himself was born in 2005, just like his ally Prime Minister Narendra Modi pretends as if he came into this world in 2014. The two leaders should tell us what is meant by women did not wear clothes in the past?" asked the ex-CM, visibly beside herself.
She added, "The CM is sitting on the lap of the BJP which has its moles acting as his confidants. We have staged a walkout and we will boycott the House till Nitish Kumar does not give up insulting women."
Shortly afterwards, she was joined by Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the assembly, who came to express solidarity with his mother and others who were feeling wronged.
A former deputy CM himself, Yadav claimed he felt "pity" for his ex-boss, who was "clearly not normal" in terms of his behaviour in public.
"Nitish ji gesticulates at the 'bindi' my mother wears on her forehead. I have seen him gesticulating in a similar fashion at his own female ministers and legislators. He loses control in the presence of women. He should resign and, maybe, set up an ashram and spend his time giving discourses," Yadav said.
The young leader also recounted incidents of Kumar "falling at the feet" of leaders like the PM and local BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and "making ministers in his cabinet literally bump their heads together".
Yadav also claimed the JD(U) supremo could not hold a candle to Lalu Prasad who was "elected to Parliament in 1977 when Nitish ji, despite the wave in favour of Janata Party, lost his assembly election".
"Nitish ji has no courage. He cannot speak against BJP MLA Hari Bhushan Thakur Bachaul who is asking Muslims to stay indoors on Holi. He switches alliances often but he does so not by sacking those from the party he severes ties with, but by resigning himself and then begging for support," Yadav alleged.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
