Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar courted controversy by making a personal attack on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad again. While campaigning in Kathiaron Saturday, he said Mr. Prasad did not do any work during his tenure and “only produced children”.
Without taking any names, the Mr. Kumar said, “When he was removed from the post of Chief Minister, he made his wife the Chief Minister. And now he is making all efforts to settle his children in politics. He produced so many children. There was no need for so many children. First two sons and now daughters are in politics.”
Reacting to Mr. Kumar’s statement, RJD leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said, ”Nitish ji is a respected person and he is my guardian. He can say anything to us. He has said such things earlier also. His every word is a blessing for me.”
Mr. Yadav said the Chief Minister is not speaking about “election issues”. “What good will the public get if he makes personal allegations? In politics and democracy, we talk about the people and not ourselves,” he said, adding “Personal things should be confined to the drawing room.”
“Why do the NDA leaders, who have been in power for years, not discuss poverty, unemployment, inflation, jobs, development and investment on political platforms? Why are they running away from these issues,” he asked.
When asked about the Chief Minister’s statement, Misa Bharti, Mr. Prasad’s eldest daughter who is contesting from Patliputra, said, “What should I say about my uncle. The people of Bihar will understand what he wants to say. Was he not aware of us when he was with us [in alliance]?”
This is not the first time that Mr. Kumar has made a controversial comment. Last year, he made a statement in the State Assembly on the role of women’s education in population control and drew flak. The very next day, he apologised with folded hands. That time, the BJP was in opposition in Bihar and had demanded his resignation while protesting inside the State Assembly.
