Patna: A fiery confrontation unfolded in the Bihar Legislative Assembly as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav clashed over issues ranging from voter verification to crime and the contentious Special Investigation Report (SIR). The third day of the monsoon session was marked by sharp personal barbs, walkouts, and sustained uproar.
The day began with Tejashwi Yadav questioning the voter verification drive in the state. Citing reports, he alleged that the Election Commission was arbitrarily labelling voters as “outsiders” and demanded greater transparency. “Only two percent of people have proper documents. Bihar ranks the worst when it comes to paperwork. Who is the Election Commission to determine citizenship?” he asked.
In a scathing retort, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took aim at the RJD leader’s political legacy. “You were a child. Your parents were Chief Ministers. What did you do?” he asked, while defending his government’s record, particularly on welfare for women. “We will go among the people with our work. We have delivered,” Kumar asserted.
Tensions escalated when RJD MLA Bhai Virendra, responding to rebukes from the Speaker, snapped, “Does this House belong to someone’s father?” prompting demands for an apology.
Outside the chamber, opposition MLAs blocked the main entrance of the Assembly for the second day running, forcing both the Chief Minister and Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary to enter through an alternate gate. Congress state president Rajesh Ram staged a sit-in with posters decrying rising crime, vowing, “We will not allow the House to function until these issues are addressed.”
Inside, the Speaker struggled to maintain order. Proceedings were repeatedly disrupted as opposition legislators chanted slogans such as “Nitish Kumar hai-hai” and “SIR wapas lo”, and stormed the well of the House. One MLA attempted to hurl a chair toward the reporting table before being restrained by marshals.
Despite the chaos, six bills—including four from the Labour Resources Department and one each from the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry ministries—are scheduled to be tabled later in the day.
The disruption continues a trend from the previous day, when the House could function for just 51 minutes across two sessions. The Speaker has issued repeated warnings, stating, “This will not increase your popularity. The public is watching.”
