Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who has been facing severe criticism for his vulgar remark on population control, has yet again courted controversy after he openly humiliated former Bihar CM and Dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi in the Bihar assembly. In a video that went viral on Thursday (November 9) Nitish Kumar, in a fit of rage, hit out at Jitan Ram Manjhi saying that he became the CM due to his stupidity otherwise he knows nothing.
According to reports, while delivering his address on the Reservation Amendment Bill Majhi raised apprehensions on the caste census done in Bihar. This is when Nitish Kumar lost his cool and interrupted him mid-way and said, “He keeps saying he too has been a chief minister. He became a chief minister because of my stupidity. Does he have any sense (ye bolta hai ki hum Mukhyamantri the. Meri moorkhta ki vajah se mukhyamantri bana. Isko koi sense hai)”, Nitish Kumar yelled, causing a commotion in the House.
Nitish Kumar mocks Jitan Ram Manjhi a Dalit leader in Assembly.
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) November 9, 2023
Kumar says – “He has no sense & idea. He became CM due to my foolishness.”
Manner in which he spoke for a senior leader was disgusting. pic.twitter.com/7j6sixKmvb
At this point, Nitish Kumar’s cabinet colleagues tried to calm him down and get him to sit down by pulling at his kurta, however, the Bihar CM did not relent. He continued saying, “journalists should also know the complete facts. They keep giving a lot of publicity to this man”.
Kumar further went on to scream at the BJP leaders who stood up to protest against the Bihar CM’s unparliamentary behaviour. “This man has always been wanting to remain in your company. When I dumped you a year ago, I had asked him to stay put, but he insisted that he wanted to come with me. Now he has run away. He wants to become a governor. Please oblige him,” he was heard yelling at the BJP leaders.
The chief minister who kept fuming, only took his seat after Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary told him, “After all, he had become the chief minister only because of your benediction (kripa)”.
For the uninitiated, Jitan Ram Majhi served as minister for scheduled castes and scheduled tribe’s welfare in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet. Between 2014 and 2015, he was the Bihar CM for around 10 months. However, less than a year later, Manjhi stepped down, faced with accusations of trying to engineer a split in the JD(U), which led to Kumar’s return as the chief minister. He broke ties with the JD(U) and formed his party Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and is now with the opposition BJP-led NDA.
Soon after the video went viral, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed Kumar and accused him of insulting the Dalits. Sharing the video on X, the Bihar unit of BJP wrote, “Did the deranged Paltu Kumar today in the House toss the Dalit community’s turban into the air? The elderly Jitan Ram Manjhi, a distinguished former Bihar Chief Minister and prominent Dalit leader received a reprimand from Nitish Kumar. The dignity of the entire Dalit community has been tarnished. When Paltu ji made a comeback in 2013, it was apparent that he used trickery to become the CM. His hatred towards the Dalit community came out openly, Bihar BJP wrote on X in Hindi.
विक्षिप्त मानसिकता के पलटू कुमार ने आज सदन में दलित समाज की पगड़ी को हवा में उछाल दी?
— BJP Bihar (@BJP4Bihar) November 9, 2023
एक बुजूर्ग व्यक्ति, बिहार के माननीय पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री और दलित समाज के वरिष्ठ नेता जीतनराम मांझी को नीतीश कुमार ने तू-तड़ाक करके बोला।
ये पूरे दलित समाज के सम्मान को हवा में उछालने का काम है।… pic.twitter.com/9zfRhitZZ2
Notably, Nitish Kumar has changed political allegiance so many times that opponents call him a ‘turncoat’ or ‘Paltu’ in Hindi
He has lost his mental stability: Manjhi reacts to the remark made by Nitish Kumar
Meanwhile, talking to reporters outside the House later, Manjhi retorted strongly to the open humiliation he faced at the hands of Nitish Kumar in the state Assembly. He asserted that the CM has lost his mental stability and is not fit to remain in the post.
“I will complain against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the governor and Union home minister. I will demand his dismissal and clamping of the President’s Rule in the state. Only a couple of days ago he had brought shame to the state through his remarks about women. His repeated misconduct shows he is no more in a sound state of mind and cannot be entrusted to hold such an important post,” Manjhi told the media.
‘मर्यादा को लांघ रहे सीएम नीतीश.. हम उनसे हर मामले में सीनियर’ सदन में तू तड़ाक करने पर बोले मांझी, नीतीश ने अपनी लाज बचाने के लिए सीधे-साधे आदमी को इस्तेमाल किया’ मांझी बोले- मैं भुइयां-मुशहर हूं इसलिए सदन में जलील किया@jitanrmanjhi #BiharVidhanSabha #Bihar pic.twitter.com/FbuwQsoZrW
— FirstBiharJharkhand (@firstbiharnews) November 9, 2023
Later, he also took to X to express his dismay. “Nitish Kumar, if you think that you made me the Chief Minister, it is your misconception. When JDU MLAs started kicking, you left your chair and ran away out of fear. To hide your powerlessness, you can attack only a Dalit. If you have the courage, show it by speaking against Lalan Singh who has launched an operation against you,” read the roughly translated post of Manjhi on ‘X’.
नीतीश कुमार अगर आपको लगता है कि आपने मुझे मुख्यमंत्री बनाया यह आपकी भूल है।जब जदयू विधायकों ने लतियाना शुरू किया तो उसके डर से आप कुर्सी छोडकर भाग गए थे।
— Jitan Ram Manjhi (@jitanrmanjhi) November 9, 2023
अपनी नामर्दी छुपाने के लिए एक दलित पर ही वार कर सकतें है,औकात है तो ललन सिंह के खिलाफ बोलकर दिखाईए जो आपका ऑपरेशन कर रहें थें।
In the aftermath of the ruckus that ensued due to Niash Kumar’s remarks, the House was adjourned for the day. However, before the adjournment, the Bihar Assembly passed the ‘Reservation Amendment Bill’ to raise reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes in state jobs and educational institutions to 65%. The bill that raises the reservation quota beyond the 50% limit set by the Supreme Court was unanimously passed by the Bihar Assembly.
It has to now be signed off by Governor Rajendra Arlekar before it can become a law. The proposed reservation would increase to 75% when coupled with the Center’s 10% quota for the Economically Weaker Sections.
Nitish Kumar’s comments on population control in Bihar assembly stir a row
On 7th November (Tuesday), Bihar CM Nitish Kumar courted a new controversy while speaking on population control in the state legislative assembly. While underscoring the importance of women’s education in controlling the population, Nitish Kumar’s descriptive remarks created an uproar in the assembly. The comments drew smiles, including from Nitish Kumar’s deputy Tejashwi Yadav, seated behind him, while several women MLAs appeared uncomfortable.
During the discussion, CM Nitish said that the literacy of women has increased in Bihar. He said that if the girl child remains educated then the population will be controlled.
To lay emphasis on this, Nitish Kumar said, “Agar ladki padh legi… aur jab shaadi hoga ladka-ladki mein… aur woh jo purush hai, roz raat mein jab shaadiya hota hai, uske saath karta hai na… to usi mein aur paida ho jata hai… aur ladki padh leti hai… ki humko maloom tha ki woh karega theek hai… lekin ant mein usko bheetar mat ghusao… usko bahar kar do… aur karta to hai… to usi mein… aap samajh lijiye ki sankhya ghat rahi hai”, as reported by Jansatta Hindi.(If a girl receives an education… and when the marriage happens between a boy and a girl… and the man, every night after marriage, engages in that activity with her, right? So, in that, further births occur… and if the girl gets an education… she will know that he would do it, alright… but in the end, don’t let it inside… pull it out… and if it happens… in that… you understand that the numbers are decreasing).”
