Nitish Kumar, BJP speaker’s war of words in Bihar Assembly: Are these worrying signs for NDA?

Tempers soared in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha engaged in a war of words on Monday. The visibly angry CM accused Sinha of “openly violating” the constitution by questioning his government. The speaker was not the one to keep mum. He retaliated and told Kumar not to “demoralise” the chair. The root of the tension Tension between the two allies have been simmering for over a month. It all started at a Saraswati Puja function held on 5 February in Sinha’s constituency – Lakhisarai in Munger district. Policemen arrived at the event, where crowds had gathered, and arrested Sinha’s two aides for violating COVID-19 protocols, according to a report in The Print. Sinha had called the deputy superintendent of police, asking him to release the men. According to him, they were mere spectators and that the organisers should have been arrested instead. The police did not pay any heed to the speaker and allegedly misbehaved with him. Sinha and other BJP leaders have been asking the government to act against the policemen. A probe for wrongful arrests is underway but there has been little progress, according to the BJP. Since the Budget session commenced in the last week of February, the matter has been raised at least three times in the Bihar Assembly. It has also been referred to the privilege committee of the Assembly, The Print reports. The policemen are said to be close to Munger Janata Dal United (JD(U)) MP Lallan Singh, who is Sinha’s rival. The two are believed to be at loggerheads and are trying to establish political supremacy in the district, according to the report. CM vs Speaker When the subject came up for discussing on Monday, Nitish Kumar turned livid and lashed out at BJP members in the House who said that the policemen were being protected by the his government.

#WATCH | Bihar CM Nitish Kumar & Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha had a heated exchange over whether a matter (Lakhisarai case) being probed by the govt which has also been referred to the privilege committee could be raised on the floor of the House "again and again" pic.twitter.com/xITtjPjEZB

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2022

“Neither do we frame anybody, nor do we protect anybody. That is not what we do. Why are you saying this again and again? You are going on and on about this and running the House like this. This has never happened before," Kumar said, according to a NDTV report. “We have said an inquiry is going on, then should you be concerned about the inquiry or should the court," he asked. When the speaker tried to intervene, the CM cut him off and said, “I was listening. I feel hurt. This is unacceptable. You listen to me. I will not accept this.” Sinha hit back saying that innocent people had been arrested, who spent 18 days in jail before getting bail. He questioned once again why the government has not taken the matter seriously, adding that perhaps the CM should tell him how to “run the House”. “Do not demoralise the chair. I am promoting your thoughts about transparency… Despite being in the chair of the speaker, I cannot ask about the conduct of policemen,” he questioned. Deteriorating ties Relationship between the Kumar-led JD(U) and the BJP are deteriorating for a while now. The two parties have an alliance in Bihar. When Kumar returned to power in November 2020, his share in the alliance reduced for the first time, having won fewer seats that the BJP. Since the BJP had more numbers, it appointed a speaker of its choice. During his earlier three tenures, the speakers were JD(U) leaders who were more or less on the same page as Kumar. However, BJP’s Sinha refused to toe the JD(U) line. He often questioned ministers and started inquires to probe irregularities. “The NDA circus” The rift between the BJP and the JD(U) has provided an opportunity to the Opposition to attack the government. The Rashtriya Janata Dal called the infighting “the NDA circus”.

मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार ग़ुस्से से आग बबूला होते हुए ने भाजपा के बिहार विधानसभा अध्यक्ष और आसन को अपमानित करते हुए कहा से कि आप कौन होते है? संविधान पढ़िए।

सभापति- आप ही बतायिये कैसे सदन चलेगा?हमें अध्यक्ष की कुर्सी पर बैठाकर एक दरोगा-सिपाही से बेइज्जत कराइयेगा।

NDA का सर्कस! pic.twitter.com/d1ujjwokkJ

— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) March 14, 2022

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RJD leader and Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav said that it was a dark day for the Assembly. “Now the Speaker of the Assembly is getting the warning (from the CM). The seat was humiliated and democracy was tarnished,” he said. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.