Nitish Kumar Faces Backlash for Outburst Against Woman Legislators

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was criticized by the RJD for his behavior towards opposition women members in the assembly. Kumar lashed out as they demanded changes to the state's reservation laws. The incident highlighted ongoing tensions over caste-based reservations in Bihar.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar faced criticism from the RJD on Wednesday for his outburst against opposition women members in the legislative assembly.

The incident occurred as opposition members demanded that Bihar's amended reservation laws be protected under the Constitution's 9th Schedule to avoid legal challenges. The RJD's women legislators accused Kumar of being anti-reservation while shouting slogans in the well of the House.

In a heated response, Kumar waved his fingers and shouted at the legislators, particularly singling out Rekha Devi of the RJD. He reminded them that women's rights in Bihar had improved under his tenure and expressed frustration at being accused unjustly.

Kumar defended his administration's efforts to enhance reservation quotas and reiterated that the state has appealed the reservation laws to the Supreme Court. He stated that a formal request has been made to the Centre to include these laws in the 9th Schedule, which would make them immune to judicial review.

Outside the House, RJD leaders including Rabri Devi condemned Kumar's actions as disrespectful to women, claiming that such behavior undermines women's dignity. They maintained that RJD and INDIA block leaders have a genuine respect for women's rights.

Rekha Devi voiced her criticism, stating that they owe their positions to their party leader Lalu Prasad rather than to Kumar, and called the Chief Minister's remarks an insult to Dalit legislators.

(With inputs from agencies.)