Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar faced intense criticism and loud protests in the Assembly on Wednesday, after making a controversial remark directed at an RJD MLA, which was widely perceived as disrespectful. In response to opposition protests, Kumar angrily asked the MLA, “You are a woman, don’t you know anything?”
The remark incited a strong backlash from the opposition, particularly from senior RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, who accused Kumar of habitually making derogatory comments against women.
During the Assembly session, opposition MLAs from the RJD and Congress, former allies of Kumar, raised slogans like “Nitish Kumar Hai Hai” (Down with Nitish Kumar). They criticised the Chief Minister for his government’s perceived failures, particularly regarding issues of reservation and special status for Bihar.
The opposition’s discontent was fueled by recent setbacks for Kumar’s government. Last month, the Patna High Court struck down the state’s move to increase the reservation cap in government jobs and educational institutions to 65%. Additionally, this week, the Union government, which includes Kumar’s party, the Janata Dal United (JDU), announced that there was no case for granting special status to Bihar.
In his address to the Assembly, Kumar mentioned that the government plans to challenge the Patna High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court. However, this assurance did little to calm the opposition’s protests.
As the opposition continued to disrupt his speech, an increasingly agitated Kumar lashed out, saying, “Arre mahila ho, kuch jaanti nahin ho? Arre bol rahi hai, kahan se aate? Yeh logo ne kabhi mahila ko aage badhaya tha? Bol rahi ho? Faltu. Isliye ham keh rahe hai, chup chaap suno. Arre kya hua? Sunoge nahin? Hum to sunayenge. Agar aap nahin suniyega, to aap logo ki galti hai.” (You are a woman, don’t you know anything? Look, she is talking. Have you [the opposition] done anything for women? We will talk and if you don’t listen, it’s your [the opposition’s] fault.)
The opposition’s slogan-shouting grew louder, but Kumar continued, insisting that his government has done much for disadvantaged sections of society.
Reacting to Kumar’s remarks, Tejashwi Yadav posted on X (formerly Twitter) in Hindi, “‘You are a woman, do you know anything?’ Making cheap, unwanted, uncivilised, rude and low-level comments against women has become a habit of Honourable Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. This is a very serious and worrying issue for the state.”
Yadav further accused Kumar of previously making inappropriate comments about a BJP woman MLA from the tribal class and two-time Scheduled Caste woman MLA Rekha Paswan. “Honourable Shri Nitish ji has become the greatest knower, meditator, interpreter and creator of the universe. Apart from him, no one knows anything,” Yadav added sarcastically.
‘Education’ Comment Controversy
This is not the first time Kumar has sparked controversy with his speeches in the Bihar Assembly. In November last year, he suggested that educating women would enable them to avoid pregnancies resulting from sexual intercourse. This comment drew significant criticism from BJP leaders, then in opposition, forcing Kumar to apologize and retract his words.
The ongoing tensions highlight the fragile political landscape in Bihar and the challenges facing Kumar’s leadership amid growing opposition.