Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has offered an apology for the contentious comments he made in the state Assembly regarding women’s education and its role in population control. The remarks, deemed “derogatory” by some, have ignited a political firestorm in the state.
“I apologize and I take back my words. If my words were wrong, I apologize. If anyone got hurt, I take them back,” stated Nitish Kumar in response to the criticism. He clarified, “(My words) were not intended to hurt anybody. I have always maintained education is necessary for population control. I have also stood for women empowerment and women’s development.”
The controversy erupted as Nitish Kumar was explaining why Bihar’s fertility rate had dropped from 4.2 to 2.9 percent. However, the language used in his explanation was met with strong opposition, with the BJP describing it as “shameful,” “disgusting,” and “vulgar.” The National Commission for Women chief, Rekha Sharma, also demanded an apology.
Critics viewed Nitish Kumar’s remarks as an attempt to place the responsibility for population control on women. The opposition in the Assembly protested vociferously, to which Nitish Kumar responded, “Why are all of you making noise? I told you… you saw, the reporters asked me and I gave an explanation.”
Amid the escalating controversy, Nitish Kumar received support from his deputy, Tejashwi Yadav, who claimed that the Chief Minister was referring to sex education in schools. “Let me clarify something… whatever the Chief Minister said was about sex education. People become hesitant over this topic… but it is taught in schools. He said what needs to be done practically…”
However, the BJP, once an ally of Nitish Kumar’s party, strongly criticized him, with Union Minister Nityanand Rai suggesting that the Chief Minister had lost his “mental stability” and calling for him to detach himself from politics.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also criticized the remark, emphasizing the importance of the Legislative Assembly as a sacred place. He suggested that Nitish Kumar could have conveyed the same message in a more appropriate and respectful manner.
The controversy over Nitish Kumar’s remarks coincided with uproar in the Bihar Assembly as the government tabled a caste survey report and passed a proposal to raise quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Extremely Backward Classes. These proposed revisions would exceed the 50 percent cap ordered by the Supreme Court in 1992. The caste survey report revealed significant proportions of Bihar’s population belonging to various categories, highlighting the complex social fabric of the state.
Sources By Agencies
