BJP accuses Nitish Kumar of making indecent remark at function attended by women; seeks apology
Patna, Jan 8: The BJP in Bihar on Sunday hit the roof over what it considered to be an "indecent remark" made by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during his speech on population growth, at a programme attended by a large number of women.
Kumar had on Saturday visited Vaishali district, along with cabinet colleagues including his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, on the third day of his state-wide 'Samadhan Yatra', aimed at assessing the status of ongoing welfare programmes and pending works.
While interacting with self-help group volunteers, Kumar had spoken about the role played by educated, empowered women in controlling population growth.
The JD(U) leader, who has been opposed to the BJP's pitch for a population control law, much to the annoyance of the former alliance partner, also hinted that men often did not show the same sense of responsibility as their wives in controlling population.
A small video clip of Kumar's speech has gone viral in which the CM could be heard as having said "the men are often unmindful that they must not indulge themselves every day (mard log to roz roz karte hi rahta hai)".
Kumar's former deputy and an erstwhile loyalist Sushil Kumar Modi issued a strongly worded statement accusing his ex-boss of having used a language that befitted the streets ('sadak chhap').
"It seems Nitish Kumar has lost his decency ever since he joined hands with the RJD. In the assembly, he is often seen using the disrespectful pronoun tum (you) for political opponents. His 'jo piyega so marega' (whoever drinks shall be doomed to die) was the height of insensitivity displayed in the aftermath of hooch tragedies," alleged Modi.
State BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand, who is also the national general secretary of the party's OBC Morcha, said the remarks of the chief minister were "sexist".
"Of late, his words seem to be aimed at creating divisions in the society. Now, it looks like he wants to create tensions inside people's homes. He must retract his statement and issue an apology," Anand stated.
Former minister Samrat Chaudhary, who is the leader of the opposition in the legislative council, said "the utterances were unbecoming of a chief minister and can tarnish the reputation of the state".
Leaders of the ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' in the state, comprising JD(U), the deputy CM's RJD, Congress and the Left, seemed embarrassed to come on record over the controversy but, speaking on condition of anonymity, they insisted that the septugenarian chief minister was trying to create public awareness and the BJP was looking to gain political mileage out of a trifle.
Meanwhile, Kumar, the state's longest serving CM, remained unfazed by the hubbub when he visited Siwan on the fourth day of 'Samadhan Yatra'.
He reiterated the need for population control and underscored the role played by educated women in the same. He also reaffirmed his government's commitment to improving the condition of madarsas in the state.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
