Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday invited massive flak from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for allegedly shouting at women members inside the state Assembly. "You are a woman, (still) you don't know anything," he had yelled.
Opposition members had been standing in the well of the House, demanding that the state's amended reservation laws be included in the 9th schedule of the Constitution to make it immune from legal scrutiny.
Last month, the Patna High Court had struck down the hike in reservations that came into effect in Bihar last year when the quotas were raised from 50 to 65 per cent for Dalits, backward classes and tribals in government jobs and educational institutions.
RJD legislators, including the women members, were accusing the Chief Minister of being anti-reservation and chanting slogans like "Nitish Kumar Hai Hai".
Waving his hand at them, especially at RJD's Rekha Devi, Kumar shouted, "You are a woman. Do you realise that it was only after I assumed power that women started getting their dues in Bihar? You are a woman, (still) you do not know anything. If you say Hai Hai to me, then it's Hai Hai for all."
Infuriated by the situation, Kumar further said, "It was at my instance that you all agreed to a caste survey after which quotas for SC, ST, OBCs and the extremely backward classes were hiked."
He informed the state assembly that after the Patna HC set aside the reservation laws, the state had moved the Supreme Court. “A formal request has also been made to the Centre for including those in the 9th schedule," the chief minister said.
Notably, the Bihar government had urged the Centre to incorporate the hiked reservation for the deprived classes from 50 to 65 per cent in state government jobs and educational institutions in the 9th schedule of the Constitution.
The 9th Schedule includes a list of Central and state laws that cannot be challenged in courts. In 1992, the apex court had capped reservations for the backward classes at 50 per cent.
The backlash over Nitish Kumar's words were heard outside the House as well. RJD leaders slammed the Bihar Chief Minister for his behaviour against the woman legislators.
Leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Rabri Devi said, "This has not happened for the first time with the CM. People know that he (CM) has no respect for women. Whatever he has done today in the assembly, is sheer insult to women."
"Leaders of the NDA do not respect women," Devi alleged, adding that only RJD and INDIA bloc leaders have respect for women.
RJD MLA Rekha Devi, speaking to news agency PTI, said, "Whatever Nitish Kumar ji said today in the assembly is insulting to a woman... We are here today because of our leader and party supremo Lalu Prasad and not because of Nitish Kumar. He has insulted a Dalit legislator today in the house. It seems that he (CM) has no control over his mind."
Tejashwi Yadav also reacted to Kumar's remarks in the House and said, "You are a woman, do you know anything? Making cheap, unwanted, uncivilized, rude and low-level comments on women has become a habit of Hon'ble Chief Minister Nitish Kumar."
"This is a very serious and worrying issue for the state," Yadav said in his post on X.
Yadav further said that a few days ago the chief minister had made a "lewd comment on the beauty of a BJP woman MLA from the tribal class".
"Today, he made a comment on two-time Scheduled Caste woman MLA Rekha Paswan. Honorable Shri Nitish ji has become the greatest knower, meditator, interpreter and creator of the universe. Apart from him, no one knows anything, no one knows anything," he added.
