The ‘larki’ comment by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar aimed at Rabri Devi has become the latest flashpoint in the state’s charged political environment. RJD workers are protesting vigorously, interpreting it as a grave insult to women’s dignity from the state’s top leader.
Bihar minister Dilip Jaiswal intervened to pour cold water on the escalating row. During a press interaction in Patna, he contextualized the remark within the warm personal equations between Nitish and the Lalu family. ‘Such light-hearted exchanges are routine between them—turning it into a controversy serves no purpose,’ Jaiswal remarked, appealing for perspective.
In parallel, minister Vijay Chaudhary voiced dismay at the opposition’s strategy of disruption over deliberation. ‘Why resort to indiscipline when channels exist for substantive debate?’ he questioned. He underscored that the government welcomes scrutiny via proper procedures but views mere pandemonium as antithetical to democratic values.
Undeterred, RJD has gone on the offensive digitally and on the ground. Their X post starkly warned that Nitish’s lapse erodes faith in women’s protection mechanisms. ‘A CM who insults Bihar’s pioneering female leader publicly invites criminal boldness statewide—his erratic behavior threatens law, order, and decorum,’ it proclaimed.
The drama unfolded dramatically with RJD legislators blockading the legislative council’s primary entrance amid chants decrying the CM’s demeanor. This brouhaha spotlights the precarious balance of Bihar politics, where barbs traded among veterans can cascade into widespread unrest. Whether this remains a tempest in a teapot or heralds deeper rifts remains to be seen.