New Delhi: The firestorm of protest over Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's birth control remarks carried over into Thursday as BJP MLA Kundan Singh and RJD legislator Vijay Mandal got into a fiery exchange of words outside the Assembly premises. They engaged in a heated argument over the issue of reservation.
After trading barbs with the RJD member on camera, the BJP MLA told media persons, "They are claiming that the BJP opposed the Mandal Commission. They are not aware that the BJP was part of coalition government at the time. However, the government fell (before the recommendations of the panel could be implemented). They (RJD) are ignorant of facts."
Singh further claimed that the ruling coalition, of which the RJD is a part, is using the floor of the legislative assembly to carry out a promotional campaign for condoms.
"Aap condom ka prachar karwaiye vidhan sabha mein… (You carry on with your promotion of condoms in the state assembly)," the BJP MLA said, pointing to the RJD member.
His comments come in the wake of a massive controversy over the remarks of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday. Speaking during a caste census debate in the state assembly, CM Kumar discussed the importance of women’s education in curbing the country’s population. This comment drew widespread condemnation from Opposition leaders.
Meanwhile, the state assembly approved a hike in reservation for the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Extremely Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes (OBC) from the existing 50 per cent to 65 per cent, news agency PTI reported.
According to the Bills providing for reservation in educational institutions and government jobs, reservation for STs will be doubled from one to two per cent, and quota for SCs will be hiked from 16 per cent to 20 per cent.