Bihar chief Minister Nitish Kumar spoke in Bihar Assembly before trust vote.
Highlights
- Tejashwi Yadav accused Nitish Kumar of hurrying through the floor test
- Nitish Kumar had planned a 45-minute address before the trust vote
- Mr Kumar had resigned as Bihar Chief Minister on Wednesday
In a discussion before a trust vote that he won with ease today,
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a very short speech. He spoke for only about 12 minutes, rejecting with unusual brevity the allegation of opportunism made by
new leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav, Mr Kumar's deputy till two days ago, who spoke for 40 minutes. Mr Yadav later accused
Nitish Kumar of hurrying through the floor test. In fact, Nitish Kumar, who had planned a 45-minute address, was keeping an eye on the clock. Muslim legislators, especially Abdul Gafoor and Abdul Bari Siddiqui of Tejashwi Yadav's RJD, also former ministers, had requested for a break to offer
Jumme ki Namaz or Friday prayers, and the chief minister immediately agreed.
Speaker Vijay Choudhury had promised them that the debate and vote on Mr Kumar's confidence motion would be wrapped up by 12.45 pm. Nitish Kumar, as the last speaker, made one of his shortest speeches, promising to respond in detail to the allegations made against him by his former allies, the RJD and the Congress, among them that he has "betrayed Bihar by partnering with communal forces," a reference to the BJP, which they accuse of being anti-Muslim.
Nitish Kumar dissolved his two-year-old Grand Alliance with the RJD and the Congress when he resigned as chief minister on Wednesday, hours after ally Lalu Yadav said his son Tejashwi would not quit as number 2 in the Bihar government despite corruption charges against him. The very next day he took oath again, this time in partnership with old ally BJP.
Today, the Chief Minister spoke for long enough to state that "no one can lecture me on secularism," making a sharp attack on Lalu Yadav and family. "You cannot have the liberty to loot or indulge in corruption in the name of secularism," he said, reminding his critics that it was he who had investigation into communal riot cases opened after he first became chief minister in 2005. Also, that he started special pensions for widowed Muslim women.