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Time of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Nitish, Tejashwi clash in House on third day of monsoon session
Patna: The third day of the monsoon session of state assembly on Wednesday was dominated by an intense and combative showdown between chief minister Nitish Kumar and leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav . What began as a focused debate on the Election Commission's (EC) special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll soon escalated into a fierce political slugfest, with Nitish invoking his two-decade governance record and launching a sharp attack on Tejashwi, while he questioned the intent, timing, and transparency of the exercise. Tejashwi had managed to secure an all-party discussion on the matter with the approval of speaker Nand Kishore Yadav and the assent of the CM. But as the debate unfolded, Nitish seized the floor to mount a strong defence of his over two-decade governance record, arguing that it was "the work done by us" since 2005 that would ultimately shape the people's verdict in the polls. Downplaying his past association with the Grand Alliance—which he had twice headed with Tejashwi as his deputy—Nitish distanced himself from the alliance's governance performance, asserting: "It is true, I was with you, but you all were not functioning properly, and I went my own way. " He launched a direct attack on Tejashwi's: "You are still a child, and you were the same even when your father (Lalu Prasad) and mother (Rabri Devi) ruled the state from 1990 to Nov 2005. He accused the erstwhile RJD regime of allowing lawlessness to flourish, saying, "Even in Patna, people feared venturing out after sunset." Citing the state's transformation under his leadership, Nitish highlighted a manifold rise in the size of the state budget since the early 1990s, as well as initiatives for women's empowerment. "We will go to the people with what we have done," he said, brushing aside Tejashwi's allegations on the electoral roll revision exercise as political noise: "You will be speaking 'and-band' (nonsense). The people will count the work done by us. " Tejashwi, on his part, trained his guns on the timing and transparency of the SIR, questioning why the exercise was being carried out so close to the elections and alleging that it lacked accountability. "We are not opposed to the SIR, but the manner of the exercise is objectionable. Why wasn't it conducted months earlier?" he asked, raising concerns about the availability of documents being sought by the EC and the alleged narrative around fake voters. "Only 2-3% of people possess the documents the EC is asking for. And if there are fake voters, then did Narendra Modi become PM and Nitish Kumar CM because of them?" Tejashwi quipped, referring to BJP and JD(U)'s electoral successes. He further pointed out that although foreign nationals from Bangladesh and Myanmar were repeatedly cited as concerns, the EC had made no mention of them in its voluminous affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Raising the issue of migrant voters, Tejashwi said, "What happens to the 4.5 crore Bihari voters who work outside the state but return during elections? The EC is now threatening to delist voters not found at their registered addresses." Following the adjournment of the morning session, Tejashwi convened a meeting with alliance partners at his residence, and later claimed that the CM's intervention had derailed the House discussion on the SIR. Demanding the continuation of the debate on Thursday, GA members staged a brief protest during the post-lunch session, meant for passage of bills, before staging a walkout.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav lock horns in Bihar Assembly over SIR
PATNA: The Bihar assembly on Wednesday witnessed confrontation between the opposition Grand Alliance and ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) members over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav termed SIR as 'flawed' and alleged that it was being done in a 'non transparent' manner, prompting chief minister Nitish Kumar to remind him about the 'jungle raj' during the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)'s rule. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav in state Assembly on Wednesday. (PTI Photos) On Yadav asking whether chief minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were wrongly elected, Kumar intervened asking Yadav to refrain from making unwarranted statements. 'You should remember what all happened during his parents' rule in Bihar (referring to Lalu-Rabri rule of RJD from 1990 to 2005). You were a child. You do not know how people used to never venture out after sunset in Patna during the rule of your parents. We have worked for all sections and ushered development in the state,' he said, asking Yadav not to create a fuss about SIR. The chief minister said though he had spent a lot of time with the NDA, he was with the RJD for some time. 'When I noticed things were not going on properly, I switched back to the NDA,' Kumar said. Yadav questioned the timing of SIR saying the 2003 exercise had taken over a year and the present one was happening just months before the elections. 'SIR is not being done in a transparent way and the poor are facing immense difficulty in procuring documents,' Yadav said. He also pointed out that migrant workers living outside the state were being left out. The opposition leader criticised the requirement of 11 documents for voter registration claiming that the voter list of Lok Sabha elections should have been revised. He said people have got just 25 days to get these documents, which is challenging for economically disadvantaged citizens, underscoring the issues they encounter. However, the legislative assembly was adjourned after RJD MLA Bhai Virendra made an objectionable statement. Though speaker Nand Kishore Yadav first asked him to apologise and then Tejaswhi to ask him to apologise, he didn't, resulting in pandemonium. After 2 pm when the work resumed in the assembly, the House passed six bills amid pandemonium, including one providing social security for Gig workers.
India.com
2 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Bihar Monsoon Session: Oppn Protests In Black, Deputy CM Hits Back On Voter List Row
The opposition, led by the Leader of Opposition in the Council, Rabri Devi, alleged, 'The government is using SIR to tamper with the voter list. It is a conspiracy to suppress votes of backward and marginalised communities under the guise of verification,' Rabri Devi said. During the protest, slogans were raised like, 'Stop trying to usurp elections and SIR is an excuse; the purpose is to ban voting.' MLCs of the Grand Alliance arrived at the Council wearing black clothes, holding posters and placards while raising slogans in the portico before the session began. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary countered the opposition's allegations, stating, 'The Election Commission has made it clear that no citizen—poor, backward, Dalit, or general—is being removed unfairly from the voter list. So far, 98 per cent participation has been recorded in the re-verification process of 19 lakh deceased voters, 20 lakh migrated citizens and 8 lakh duplicate voters have been identified.' He further said, 'The SIR process will conclude on July 26, after which the draft voter list will be published, allowing all parties to file objections transparently.' Samrat Chaudhary targeted the opposition's black-clothes protest, remarking, 'Shani has overshadowed them; that's why they are roaming around in black.' He accused the opposition of misleading the people and referenced past political statements on illegal voters to justify the verification drive, citing that 'over 120 per cent Aadhaar registration in districts like Kishanganj makes investigation necessary.' When questioned about speculations of CM Nitish Kumar being considered for Vice President, Samrat Chaudhary remarked, 'It is up to the BJP and NDA leadership, and they will decide.' The monsoon session is politically crucial, with the government aiming to pass key bills before the upcoming elections. The opposition is aggressively targeting the government on law and order, voter list revision, and unemployment during this five-day session.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Bihar monsoon session: Oppn protests in black, Deputy CM hits back on voter list row
Patna: On the second day of the Bihar Legislative Assembly monsoon session, opposition parties staged strong protests wearing black clothes against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. The opposition, led by the Leader of Opposition in the Council, Rabri Devi, alleged, 'The government is using SIR to tamper with the voter list. It is a conspiracy to suppress votes of backward and marginalised communities under the guise of verification,' Rabri Devi said. During the protest, slogans were raised like, 'Stop trying to usurp elections and SIR is an excuse; the purpose is to ban voting.' MLCs of the Grand Alliance arrived at the Council wearing black clothes, holding posters and placards while raising slogans in the portico before the session began. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary countered the opposition's allegations, stating, 'The Election Commission has made it clear that no citizen—poor, backward, Dalit, or general—is being removed unfairly from the voter list. So far, 98 per cent participation has been recorded in the re-verification process of 19 lakh deceased voters, 20 lakh migrated citizens and 8 lakh duplicate voters have been identified.' He further said, 'The SIR process will conclude on July 26, after which the draft voter list will be published, allowing all parties to file objections transparently.' Samrat Chaudhary targeted the opposition's black-clothes protest, remarking, 'Shani has overshadowed them; that's why they are roaming around in black.' He accused the opposition of misleading the people and referenced past political statements on illegal voters to justify the verification drive, citing that 'over 120 per cent Aadhaar registration in districts like Kishanganj makes investigation necessary.' When questioned about speculations of CM Nitish Kumar being considered for Vice President, Samrat Chaudhary remarked, 'It is up to the BJP and NDA leadership, and they will decide.' The monsoon session is politically crucial, with the government aiming to pass key bills before the upcoming elections. The opposition is aggressively targeting the government on law and order, voter list revision, and unemployment during this five-day session.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
NDA govt has put people in hard times: CPI
Patna: CPI general secretary, D Raja, alleged on Sunday that the NDA govt's 20-year rule in the state has put its people in hard times. He appealed to people to change the govt for their betterment by voting for the Grand Alliance (GA). Raja, who was addressing the concluding session of the two-day meet of the party's state council held here on Sunday, said: "As a symptom of the hard times, both crime and corruption have peaked, for which the police headquarters has blamed the farmers of the state." He blamed the "pro-corporate and anti-people" policies pursued by the Centre for the rising prices of commodities and reduction in the work opportunities for youths. Stating that the attention of the entire country was on the outcome of the Bihar assembly elections , Raja asked the state CPI workers and supporters to reach out to people with the slogan 'Badlo sarkar, bachao Bihar' . He said that the special intensive revision (SIR) being done in the state was aimed at removing the poor, dalits, migrant workers and people from minority sections from the electoral roll. State CPI secretary, Ram Naresh Pandey, said the five-day 25th state conference of the party would be held in Patna from Sept 8 to 12, and a state-level rally would also be held here on the first day. The resolution adopted by the party's state council rejected the SIR exercise, and also demanded 300 units of free electricity for the domestic consumers.
