Bihar CM loses cool in council, asks RJD leader to 'follow rules'

RJD member Subodh Kumar asked for supplementary during the question hour in the legislative council on Monday.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday lost his cool in the legislative council during the question hour and advised Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) member Subodh Kumar to follow the rules while he asked for supplementary.

File photo: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. (ANI Photo)

The incident took place when Kumar posed a supplementary to the rural works department's Jayant Raj over a starred question of the fellow party member Mohammad Farooq, who sought to know as to how long the department would take to improve the condition of Katsari (Sheohar)-Parsauni (East Champaran) road. Farooq alleged that the condition of the road, along with others in the area, had been deplorable for the past three months.

The chief minister stood up on the chair barely after Subodh Kumar sought to pose a supplementary and said that the minister had replied in agreement, and apparently asked the RJD members to hear the reply and then put up the supplementary.

However, Subodh Kumar refused to sit and contested that the ministers usually take many supplementary questions together and reply. “This has been the usual convention and more supplementary questions are posed by the treasury members,” the RJD member contented.

“You (Subodh Kumar) should know the norms. You sit down...” said the CM, asking RJD's senior Ram Chandra Pubey, who was sitting by the side of Subodh Kumar, to apprise him about the rule.

Working chairman of the council Awadhesh Narayan Singh also requested Subodh Kumar to stay quiet and sit down but refused to oblige him and kept on arguing with the CM.

The CM said that it was not the way to behave. “Would you keep arguing when I am speaking? You don’t listen,” said the CM, adding that the rulebook states that those who put up the original question are allowed to ask the supplementary question first. “You (Subodh) are allowed to ask once the minister replied to the supplementary to the main questioner. I don’t have any objection to anybody but I stand up to remind the rule when it’s observed in the breach,” said the CM.

The chair, however, intervened and normalized the charged atmosphere in the House.

In November last year, CM Kumar burst out in anger in the assembly when opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav had alleged that the former was involved in a murder case and a case of plagiarism was lodged against him by a JNU student. Taking all those present in the House by surprise, Kumar was seen standing up and screaming “jhooth bol raha hai yeh (Tejashwi is lying)”.

The working chairman, when contacted in his chamber, refused to comment about the rules, saying that he did not comment on issues about the House.

Talking to media persons later, Subodh Kumar said that the CM had reached the age where he should take retirement. “The CM gets inconvenient when the RJD members question the conduct of his ministers and ask for his clarification,” said the RJD member.

Congress member Prem Chandra Mishra said the way the CM is losing his cool does not suit his image and the dignity of the post he holds. “Everyone in the House is empowered to question the government and every member has his self-respect. The CM’s conduct in the House appeared odd,” said Mishra.