Oppn accuses Nitish of insulting Speaker

Patna: The alleged insult of Bihar assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar paralysed the House where ruckus created by the opposition over the issue forced repeated adjournments of the proceedings on Tuesday.

Strangely, both Sinha and Kumar chose not to attend the House which was in turmoil over the showdown between the two on the previous day.

While the speaker remained seated inside his chamber, meeting MLAs who dropped in out of curiosity, the chief minister was away in Maner Sharif, a Sufi shrine on the outskirts of the state capital, where he ducked queries from journalists about the stalemate with a cryptic smile.

MLAs of the RJD, the principal opposition party, had come to the House wearing black badges as a mark of protest against what they saw as a slight inflicted on the Chair by the head of the government.

They were further provoked upon seeing senior BJP leader Prem Kumar in the Chair, when the House first assembled at 11 AM, and after being adjourned till 2 PM met for the post-lunch session.