Bihar Politics: Rabri, Tejashwi's 'High On Cannabis', 'Bindi' Remark After Spat With CM Nitish Kumar

A fresh political slugfest erupted in Bihar in continuation of CM Nitish Kumar's war of words with the opposition leaders ahead of the assembly elections in the state since past few days.

Facing retaliation after engaging in a verbal spat with his predecessor Rabri Devi inside the state legislative council, Nitish Kumar on Wednesday came under a no-holds-barred attack from the opposition RJD.

All About The Nitish-Rabri Feud

The fresh trouble stemmed from CPI(ML) MLC Shashi Yadav, an RJD ally, rising in her chair to submit before the House that she was not satisfied with the government's reply to certain questions.

Responding to Yadav's allegation, CM Nitish Kumar, who is also a member of the upper house, said "The government is doing so much. The earlier governments did nothing" targeting the RJD-led regime. Kumar's remarks irked Rabri Devi which eventually led to an unprecedented spat between the two veteran politicians.

Rabri Devi staged a walkout and accused the chief minister of having come to the House after consuming "bhang" (cannabis) while her son Tejashwi Yadav, a former deputy CM, demanded the resignation of his ex-boss whom he charged with "gesticulating at female legislators".

Speaking to reporters outside the House, Rabri Devi alleged, "Nitish Kumar comes to the assembly under the influence of 'bhang'. He misbehaves with women. Today, he has insulted me for the second time."

In a fresh political attack, the former Bihar CM said, "You claim no work was done before you took over. Please summon the records of that period. You will understand better. According to you, women did not even wear clothes before 2005, when you became the chief minister."

"Never before have women got so much of respect as they are getting now," asserted the CM while adding, "What did they do for women? Her husband made her the chief minister when he ran into trouble."

Notably, Rabri Devi first became the chief minister in 1997 when her husband Lalu Prasad, the RJD president, had to resign, following a CBI charge-sheet in the fodder scam.

Retaliating to his remarks on former CM Rabri Devi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav earlier said "He should realise that Rabri Devi was Bihar's first ever woman CM, she is elder to him and she was the CM of united Bihar. I feel pity on CM over what his condition is... it doesn't suit to me to speak much on this, but such comments are being made regularly, and his deteriorating health proves that he is not capable to run Bihar..."

Later, Rabri Devi was joined by Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the assembly who claimed he felt "pity" for his ex-boss, who was "clearly not normal" in terms of his behaviour in public.

"Nitish ji gesticulates at the 'bindi' my mother wears on her forehead. I have seen him gesticulating in a similar fashion at his own female ministers and legislators. He loses control in the presence of women. He should resign and, maybe, set up an ashram and spend his time giving discourses," Yadav said.

Wednesday's verbal spat came days after the Janata Dal United (JDU) chief claimed that it was he who elevated Lalu Prasad in politics. Nitish Kumar had made the remarks while replying to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who called the current Bihar regime 'defunct' and claimed that people were distraught.

"What was there in Bihar earlier? It was me who made your father what he became. Even the people from your caste were asking me why I was doing this, but I still supported him," Nitish Kumar said earlier.