Nitish, speaker lock horns in bihar assembly

Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav took a dig at the altercation between Kumar and Sinha in assembly and called the ruling dispensation troubled

The issue of crime in Lakhisarai district set off an unusual argument between Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and legislative assembly speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha inside the House on Monday on whether a matter that the state government was investigating, and had referred to the privilege committee, could be brought up for discussion repeatedly.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. (HT PHOTO)

Lakhisarai is the constituency represented by speaker Sinha and the issue of an arrest of youth and alleged misbehaviour of district police officers with the Speaker had earlier been raised in the House several times. It was also raised on first day of the Budget session on February 25.

On Monday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Sanjay Sarawgi raised a question regarding nine murders in Lakhisarai within first 50 days of 2022. The minister in-charge, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, answered the question, but the member was not satisfied, after which the Speaker said that the government would reply two days later. This is when chief minister Kumar stepped in.

He hit out saying that just because an incident was reported in someone’s constituency, it should not be stretched out, as the police was on job. He was upset over Sinha’s decision to defer he question and seek the government reply again.

“Please refer to the Constitution. The House cannot run like this. All legislators have the freedom to ask any question and the government has to give a reply, but it should not be allowed to harp on the same issue just because it is of someone’s constituency...” said the chief minister.

After Kumar’s outburst, Sinha said, “Your anger is justified as you are a senior member...there has been no action in the case. I learn from all the seniors. But do not try to demoralise the chair or undermine its authority. You all have made me sit here. If there is administrative anarchy anywhere, the members can raise questions. My job is to protect all the members. You tell me how to run the House. I have only said what the government reiterates - prompt action. If there is just show off in the name of investigation, the members will raise questions.”

“The investigation report will be filed in the court. It will not be filed here. I neither implicate anyone, nor protect anyone. The police do their job. I fail to understand why such things are raised in the House time and again. I have never seen such a thing happening in my long career,” replied Kumar.

The Speaker added that minister Yadav was not able to answer Sarawgi’s specific query of why the authorities had not even attached properties in these cases since the government believes in “zero tolerance to crime and corruption”.

Chief minister Kumar said that he would review the matter to find if there had been any delay, as there are clear guidelines to complete investigations within 60 days.

“Whether attachment of property is to be done or not, is for the court to see, not of the House...The matter is already with the privilege committee and whatever recommendations are made, the government will certainly look into it and act,” he added.

On Friday last week, uproar broke in the House as members cutting across party lines, including those from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), stood up demanding a government statement on an incident in Lakhisarai where some policemen allegedly misbehaved with Sinha. The MLAs demanded action against the policemen. Bihar chief secretary Amir Subhani and director general of police S K Singhal were both summoned to the House over the issue.

Earlier on Monday, Sinha also took exception to the arrest of a youth by the police for violating Covid-19 protocol at an event organised on the occasion of Saraswati Puja last year.

“A youth sitting as a spectator has been arrested and sent to jail, while there has been no action against the organisers. The officers are also still there. It was an incident of Saraswati Puja when an orchestra was organised. The House has raised it three times and some action should have been taken by now,” Sinha said, adding that the issue should be taken up during Question Hour.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took a dig at the altercation between Kumar and Sinha calling the ruling dispensation troubled with scant respect for each other. “Everybody is fighting in this government. And the latest addition to this unsavoury chapter is the altercation between Kumar and Sinha,” he said. Called the situation unprecedented, he said, “the state has become rudderless and miseries of the common people have been compounding”.