'Grand Alliance' hits out at Nitish Kumar for alleged use of foul language

The opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar on Tuesday burnt effigies of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here in protest against his alleged use of foul language against the leader of a constituent of "Mahagathbandhan". In the state capital, the protest demonstration was led by state RJD president Ramchandra Purve and state RLSP chief Bhudeo Chaudhary both of whom gathered at the Income Tax crossing and addressed hundreds of workers before an effigy of the Chief Minister was set afire.

Purve alleged that by calling Mukesh Sahni - Bollywood set designer-turned - "sadak chhap" (roadside) Kumar had insulted "the entire Nishad community" and asserted "leaders of the Mahagathbandhan will stage a Raj Bhavan March tomorrow (Wednesday) if the Chief Minister does not apologize". "There is anger across the state and we have reports of similar agitations being staged in all district headquarters. This is yet another instance of Kumar insulting a leader from an extremely backward class. It will prove costly to the Chief Minister", Chaudhary said.

At an interaction with the media on Monday, Kumar - who also heads the JD(U) - had dismissed the Grand Alliance as a formation which was including people "picked up from the streets" (sadak par se uthakar shaamil kar lete hain). However, after a meeting where all Grand Alliance leaders discussed seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls late in the evening, RJD heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha accused Kumar of having called Sahni - who floated his party VIP two months ago and joined the Mahagathbandhan last month - sadak chhap".

Notably, Kushwaha - who quit the NDA and resigned from the Union council of ministers a month ago - has been alleging that Kumar had called him "neech" (lowly) at a function organized by a private news channel. At the function held in October last year, Kumar had declined to answer queries about difficulties being faced in the NDA on account of Kushwaha's adamance for a "respectable share of seats" in the Lok Sabha polls.

"Bahas ka star itna neeche mat giraiye" (do not lower the level of discourse so much), he had remarked. Kushwaha, who had been sulking over being overshadowed by the JD(U) ever since Kumar returned to the NDA in 2017, however insisted that he was called a "lowly" person, charged the BJP leadership with failing to support him while he was being "humiliated" even as RLSP workers staged dharnas to condemn the alleged remark.

(With inputs from agencies.)