Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's remark – “Mahila ho, jaanti nahi ho (you are a woman, you don't know)" – directed at RJD’s Masaurhi MLA Rekha Paswan created a furore in the state assembly on Wednesday, with leader of opposition, RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, calling it "uncivilised and undesirable". The CM was explaining in the assembly how the state government had moved the Supreme Court against Patna High Court scrapping its decision to raise reservation from 50 per cent to 65 per cent. He also said the state had requested the Centre to include Bihar’s demand for an increase in quota in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution to provide it legal and constitutional immunity. At this, Paswan got up from her seat to make an intervention. Upset at her interruption, the CM said, "Mahila ho, jaanti nahi ho.” Amid an almost instantaneous reaction from the Opposition, he said, "Arre bol rahi hai.. Kahan se aake? In logon ke saath aake. In logon ne mahila ko aage badhaya tha? (She is at least speaking. You know how? She has come this far despite keeping the company of these people (RJD). Do you think they ever promoted women?” Later, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar defended Nitish, saying his "speech should be listened to in full rather than taking out a portion to use for a political purpose”. Tejashwi took to X, where he wrote, "It has become a habit of CM Nitish Kumar to make undignified, undesirable, uncivilised, uncouth and low-level remarks against women. This has been a matter of great concern for the state.” He said the CM had earlier made unwarranted remarks against a BJP tribal MLA, while on Wednesday, his comments were directed at a two-time MLA from the Scheduled Caste. "It seems that Nitish Kumar is the only knowledgeable person on earth and the rest do not know anything,” he said.
