Patna: A heated political row erupted in the Bihar Legislative Council on Monday after chief minister Nitish Kumar referred to former chief minister and leader of the opposition Rabri Devi as a “ladki (girl)” while addressing the House.
The remark, made during a charged exchange with opposition members, quickly drew criticism from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi’s son and the party’s working president, shared a video clip of the speech on social media and questioned the chief minister’s language and mindset.
In his post, Tejashwi referred to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, saying that when such conditions worsen, a person may lose mental balance and can only be wished a recovery. He criticised Nitish for referring to Bihar’s first woman chief minister as a “girl” and accused him of displaying “narrow, negative and flawed thinking towards women”.
The video shows Nitish speaking towards the opposition benches and saying: “Is she of any use? She’s just a girl. After her husband left, they made her the chief minister. Have these people done any work?” Kumar has in the past also targeted Rabri Devi and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, including remarks about their family.
Nitish’s health has been the subject of political sparring for some time, with the opposition claiming he is unwell and the ruling alliance rejecting those allegations. During recent election campaigns, Nitish had sought to counter such claims by undertaking an intensive schedule.
The controversy added to the turbulence of the day’s proceedings, which also saw a heated exchange between Rabri Devi and BJP MLC Devesh Kumar inside the House.
