Suno babu, baat samjho: Nitish Kumar's political advice to Lalu's son Tejashwi

PATNA: “Suno, babu, baat samjho (Listen, kid, try to understand)”. These were the words of the usually quiet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to jailed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad’s son and leader of Opposition in legislative assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

A visibly angry Nitish sought to pass on these words of wisdom to Tejashwi during the ongoing Bihar Assembly on Monday. 

It all began when state Energy Minister Bijendra Yadav was presenting the government's response on the budgetary demand of the home department. 

In the midst of Yadav's reply, Tejashwi suddenly intervened, seeking Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary's permission to share a crucial information with the house.

Tejashwi, the former Bihar deputy chief minister, said that members of a minority community were being attacked in Aurangabad in the last few hours.

As members of the Opposition continued interrupting the house proceedings, Nitish lost his cool.

And then came the words. 

“Suno, babu, baat samjho.”

"If you (Tejashwi) try to give vent to rumours through the House, it vitiates the atmosphere...Please don't do such things," Kumar said.

"If there is any local issue and you want to make it a state-level one through the House, then it will be construed that you are willing to whip up passions... We all should try to maintain peace and amity," the chief minister said.

Nitish went on to say Tejashwi has a long politic career in front of him and should be willing to learn. 

Why didn't the “senior RJD leader” did not teach the basics, Nitish asked RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui, who sat next to him.

"We all, including the DGP and the Home Secretary, are talking to the people concerned. Senior officials have been rushed to the spot to keep things under control", he said, adding "No one will be spared". 

Bihar's Aurangabad town witnessed clashes between members of two communities during Ram Navami celebrations. People indulged in heavy stone-pelting and arson, which left several persons injured and nearly a dozen shops gutted yesterday while a Ram Navami procession was being taken out.

Prohibitory orders were later clamped in the town.

"We have clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC. The situation in the town is tense but under control," said Aurangabad District Magistrate Rahul Ranjan Mahiwal.

With PTI inputs