PATNA: The state legislative assembly on Friday witnessed uproarious scenes when leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav made personal attacks on CM Nitish Kumar, who lost his cool and demanded action against the son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad. “Jhooth bol raha hai ye (he is telling a lie),” Nitish yelled and sought “action” against Tejashwi, who alleged that the CM was an accused in a murder case during the 1991 parliamentary elections and Rs25,000 fine was paid to the court against charges of plagiarism against him.
“He is uttering ‘bakwaas (nonsense)’. What he is telling is a lie. Inquiry should be conducted, action should also be taken, for he is speaking a lie. He (Tejashwi) is the son of a friend (Lalu) of mine who has been like a brother to me. That is why I don’t say anything when he speaks against me. But this cannot be tolerated,” Nitish burst out at Tejashwi.
“Who made him (Lalu) the leader of the (Janata Dal) legislature party (in 1990 to become the CM)? Who made you (Tejashwi) deputy CM (in 2015)? He (Tejashwi) has been chargesheeted in a case. I had asked him to explain his position on the matter,” Nitish also said. In 2017, Tejashwi’s name cropped up in a money laundering case but he refused to resign as the deputy CM, resulting in Nitish walking out of the grand alliance and forming government with BJP in the state. Nitish as a leader of the erstwhile Janata Dal had supported Lalu in the election for the legislature party leader in 1990.
In the rush of the moments, the ruling JD(U) and BJP MLAs, as well as those from the RJD and other opposition parties, also trooped into the well of the House, when Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha hurriedly adjourned the House for half-an-hour, ostensibly to avert the likely clash and fisticuffs on the floor of the House.
However, parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary informed the House that the police and the lower court had closed the murder case with the Nalanda SP and DM maintaining that Nitish was at Nalanda and could not have been present at the spot. Later, the Patna high court quashed the case and even the Supreme Court had dismissed the petitions on two occasions, Choudhary said.
Earlier, Tejashwi said, “What is that they have not said about me. Even big BJP leader (read PM Narendra Modi) invented various names for me, a 31 years old youth.”
Tejashwi said during the election campaigning, Nitish had not only been “counting the children produced by his parents,” but had also remarked that his parents went for so many daughters to fulfil their desire for a son, which reflected their attitude towards girl children. “Nitish has one son, but anyone can say that he (Nitish) was afraid of a daughter, and, therefore, stopped producing children,” Tejashwi said. He also alleged Nitish’s involvement in the Srijan scam.
As to the Srijan scam, Choudhary said Nitish, as CM of the state, referred the matter to the CBI for investigation 10 days after the scam surfaced and, therefore, he had nothing to do with it. At this point, Tejashwi rose at his seat and drawing the attention of the Speaker said whatever he had said were facts. Only then Nitish stood up at his seat and burst into that volcanic rage against Tejashwi.