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After flare-up, new low averted in Upper House
PATNA Bihar’s Legislative Council witnessed a peculiar scene on Wednesday, the concluding day of the budget session, when a group of infuriated treasury members advanced menacingly towards the Opposition benches in a bid to silence them even as chief minister Nitish Kumar was chastising and asking them to behave
PATNA
Bihar’s Legislative Council witnessed a peculiar scene on Wednesday, the concluding day of the budget session, when a group of infuriated treasury members advanced menacingly towards the Opposition benches in a bid to silence them even as chief minister Nitish Kumar was chastising and asking them to behave.
Provoked by the Opposition’s offer for bangles to the CM over Tuesday’s incident in the Assembly, Kumar stood up and advised them to behave in a dignified way. “Recall what happened with those in the Assembly who resorted to hooliganism. People would give you a befitting reply. You don’t know what are you doing,” the CM told the Opposition, which was seeking a debate on the scuffle in the Assembly through an adjournment motion moved by RJD member Subodh Kumar.
Apparently annoyed by Subodh Kumar’s act of displaying bangles, JD(U) member Neeraj Kumar asked the Opposition to maintain dignity and urged the chair to discipline RJD members. As the agitating RJD members refused to pay heed to repeated requests from the chair, a group of JD(U) members, led by Sanjay Singh, stormed the well and advanced towards the RJD leader arguing at top of his voice. Another JD(U) member Sanjeev Singh, however, intervened and prevented a likely altercation. Tanveer Akhtar, Bhishm Sahni and Ram Ishwar Mahato were accompanying Sanjay Singh who had reached near the Opposition benches.
Sensing trouble, working chairman of the Council, Awadhesh Narayan Singh, stood on his chair and asked the members to maintain cool and listen to the leader of the house, the chief minister. “Don’t force me to do something that never happened here,” said Singh, as the CM kept on speaking, oblivious of heated exchanges between the members of both sides.
The CM advised the Opposition to stay quite, while reminding them of the strength of treasury in the Council. “Do you know what is the number of this side (treasury),” asked Kumar, while advising Congress members to distance themselves from the RJD.
Congress members, led by Prem Chandra Mishra, whose demand to discuss the police assault on MLAs through an adjournment motion led to an uproar and suspension of question hour in the first half, were also supporting the RJD in its protest.
Later, the Council passed the Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021, and other legislations in the absence of the Opposition, which staged a walkout.
In-charge home minister Bijendra Yadav later clarified in the House that the Opposition’s dears about the new legislation were totally unfounded.
