Another Nitish-Rabri spat in Bihar council
Bihar Legislative Council on Tuesday witnessed yet another spat between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of the Opposition Rabri Devi who was told by the former that she was inconsequential, but for being the wife of RJD president Lalu Prasad. The JD(U) president's fresh fit of temper 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 BJP returned to power.
Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD supremo's son and heir apparent, was the Deputy CM when the quotas were hiked through legislations passed in 2023, which were, however, quashed by the Patna High Court months later.
Bihar's longest-serving CM 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».
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The Council has been witness to the war of words between 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