On the floor of Bihar assembly Tejashwi calls Nitish govt 'circus'

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday took apart the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, calling it a "circus" that lacked coordination, indulged in "loot and plunder" and remained indifferent to the scourge of communalism.

Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha resorted to adjournment of proceedings for a few minutes, disrupting the leader of the opposition's speech midway, as BJP leaders were left frothing at the mouth over references to the RSS and its 'khatarnaak' (dangerous) world view.

As the House reassembled, Yadav spoke in detail of contributions made by Muslims in the freedom struggle.

He pointed out that people from the minority community had coined the slogan 'inquilab zindabad' and penned the song 'sare jahan se achcha Hindustan hamara'.

The declamation was made with reference to a remark by BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur that Muslims should be stripped of voting rights if they found 'Vande Mataram', the national song, problematic.

The young leader came obviously well prepared for taking part in the debate on Motion of Thanks on the Governor's address, which he sought to dismiss as "for most part, a mere repetition of what this government has been saying for many years".

Armed with newspaper clippings, he read out excerpts to highlight the mutual differences between the chief minister's JD(U) and the BJP, its senior alliance partner.

"It is a circus in which there is no compatibility, cooperation or coordination. Though there is agreement on corruption, loot and plunder", he alleged.

Regaling the House with a fable built around Mullah Nasruddin, he spoke about corruption scandals in the state, ignoring barbs from the treasury benches aimed at his father Lalu Prasad who is serving sentence in a fodder scam case.

Turning his gaze to communalism, Yadav recalled that the RSS, the BJP'S parent body, had belatedly agreed to hoist a tricolour at its office.

When he recollected the arrest of L K Advani, during the Ayodhya Rath Yatra, by his father who was then the chief minister of Bihar, the Speaker interjected, pointing out that it was not proper to talk about those who were not present inside the House.

Yadav, however, stood his ground and, turning towards state industries minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, exclaimed "attempts are being made to deprive you and the state's Chief Secretary of voting rights".

Senior IAS officer Amir Subhani, the topper of 1987 batch, took over as the Chief Secretary in January.

Hussain, who is also a BJP national spokesman, rose in his seat to assert that fears being expressed by the RJD leader were unfounded.

By the time, however, many BJP leaders were on their feet, waving their fists and fingers at Yadav whom they accused of casting aspersions on "an organisation (RSS) of which the President, the Vice President and the Prime Minister have all been active members".

The opposition leader fished in troubled waters, recalling that when he was Kumar's deputy, the chief minister had called RSS 'khatarnaak'.

The chief minister looked on stoically as Yadav reminded the former of abrupt return to the NDA in 2017 and remarked "you are finished if you lose your queen in a game of chess and your conscience in life" (shatranj mein wazeer aur zindagi mein jameer).

He also made a mention of price rise, recalling the Peepli Live' song mehengayi daayan khaaye jaat hai' (witch called price rise devours everything) which was lapped up by the NDA, then in opposition in the country.

"Does inflation feel like a sister-in-law now?" (Kya mehengayi ab bhaujayi laagat hai?) asked Yadav, attempting the earthy humour for which his father was renowned.