Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Rabri Devi on Tuesday engaged in a heated exchange over the issue of reservation again in the state Legislative Council. Notably, Nitish Kumar's anger was caused by the sight of RJD MLCs reaching the House wearing badges dyed in green, the colour of the party flag, with slogans declaring that quotas for deprived castes had been hiked in the state by the "Tejashwi government" and were "stolen" after the BJP returned to power.
Tejashwi Yadav, RJD chief Lalu Prasad's son and heir apparent, was the Deputy CM when the quotas were hiked through legislation passed in 2023, which was, however, quashed by the Patna High Court months later.
The longest-serving CM of Bihar was visibly miffed at the attempt by his former ally to steal credit for the populist move, and he made one of the MLCs stand up so that the badge and the slogans on it could be seen clearly.
Staring upwards in the direction of the media gallery, the septuagenarian said, "Just look at this spectacle. You can see this only in this party."
Rabri Devi rose in protest against the derision of her party, only to be snubbed by Kumar with the remark, in Bihari slang, "You just stay out of this. The party is not yours but that of your husband".
The Council has been witness to the war of words between Nitish Kumar and Rabri Devi a few times recently.
Casting glances at the media gallery and at his colleagues occupying the treasury benches, Kumar said, "This poor lady was propped up by her husband when he was in trouble."
Notably, Rabri Devi became the Chief Minister in 1997 when her husband had to step down following a CBI charge sheet in the fodder scam.
Incidentally, Kumar, a former associate of Prasad, had parted ways with the latter just in the previous year to chart his own political journey with the BJP, culminating in the overthrow of the RJD in 2005.
The arch-rivals have since then had two short-lived alliances. Of late, Kumar has been repeatedly recalling how the RJD supremo handed over the reins of the state to his homemaker wife in a bid to continue ruling by proxy.
This has led the RJD to allege that Kumar has lost his mental balance and was, therefore, unfit to rule the state.
Chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh remarked, "You must be in your seats while the honourable Chief Minister is addressing the House."
Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, who belongs to the BJP, also sprang to his feet and asserted, "The credit for bringing in legislation for a hike in quotas goes to Nitish Kumar. All of us had extended unanimous support".
Later, the RJD legislators staged a dharna on the stairs of the Vidhan Parishad premises.
Talking to reporters, RJD MLC Abdul Bari Siddiqui said, "We demand fresh legislation hiking the quotas, which should be protected against judicial review. The NDA, which is in power at the Centre, should place the legislation in the ninth schedule of the Constitution."
(With inputs from PTI)