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.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
