Uproar in Bihar Assembly as CM Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav Clash over SIR

PATNA:
On the third day of the Bihar Assembly’s monsoon session, the House witnessed heavy uproar as a heated exchange erupted between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list.

Tejashwi Yadav asserted that the opposition was not against SIR but opposed the process being followed by the Election Commission, which, he alleged, was creating fear among migrant voters of being removed from the voter list.

Tejashwi pointed out that the poor people do not possess the 11 documents being demanded under SIR and questioned the Election Commission’s role in proving citizenship.

“The job of the Election Commission is to conduct fair elections, not to prove citizenship,” Tejashwi said.

Tejashwi further alleged that the Deputy Chief Ministers were leaking information from sources.

CM Nitish Kumar, visibly agitated, countered Tejashwi by reminding him of the Lalu-Rabri regime, stating: “Your father was the CM for 7 years, then your mother became CM. What was the situation in Bihar then? You (Tejashwi) are a child, you don’t know anything.”

The CM emphasised the development work done under his leadership and said the opposition could say “whatever nonsense” during elections.

Deputy CM Vijay Sinha interjected, accusing Tejashwi of misleading the people of Bihar, leading to a confrontation with RJD MLA Bhai Virendra, who pointed a finger and allegedly used the word ‘hooliganism’, sparking further uproar.

Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav intervened, asking Bhai Virendra to apologise, but he refused, stating: “We will not apologise. The House is not anyone’s patrimony.”

Amidst continuous disruption, the Speaker adjourned the House till 2.00 p.m.

In the aftermath, CM Nitish Kumar met Deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Sinha in his chamber, while Ministers Vijay Chaudhary and Bijendra Yadav also met the Speaker to address the situation.

Tejashwi Yadav, Bhai Virendra, and other opposition MLAs also reached the Speaker’s chamber, leading to further exchanges.

The uproar highlights the intensifying political tension in Bihar over the voter list revision ahead of the Assembly elections, with both sides unwilling to yield ground in the Assembly.