Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s remarks in the state assembly on how education among women has helped control the population prompted a sharp reaction from the BJP, which called it an “attack on dignity of women”, as well as the National Commission for Women (NCW), whose chairman called the remarks “crass”.
Nitish Kumar, while speaking on the importance of education among women to control the population, emphasised how an “educated woman” can restrain her husband during sexual intercourse and put forward a vivid description in the state assembly.
The video of him explaining his point on population control soon went viral on social media while several Bihar women MLAs objected to the language used by the chief minister.
Bihar Deputy CM defends Nitish Kumar
As his remarks triggered sharp reactions, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said it is wrong to misinterpret Nitish Kumar’s statement.
“Let me clarify something. Whatever the chief minister was saying was about sex education. People become hesitant over this topic, but these are taught in schools — in Science, Biology. Children learn this. He said what needs to be done practically to control the population. This should not be taken in a wrong manner, but as sex education,” Tejashwi said.
NCM ‘vehemently condemns’ Kumar’s statement
The NCW “vehemently: condemned the recent statements made by Kumar in the Vidhan Sabha. “Such remarks are not only regressive but also egregiously insensitive to women’s rights and choices. Bihar’s chief minister should issue an apology to women across the country for these deeply offensive remarks.”
The commission’s chairperson Rekha Sharma demanded an unequivocal apology from the Bihar chief minister.
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“On behalf of every woman in this country, as the chairperson of the National Commission for Women, I demand an immediate and unequivocal apology from Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar. His crass remarks in the Vidhan Sabha are an affront to the dignity and respect that every woman deserves,” Sharma said.
“If a leader can make such comments so openly in a democracy, one can only imagine the horror the state must be enduring under his leadership. We stand firm against such behaviour and call for accountability,” she said in the post.
BJP demands apology
BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan told The Indian Express, “What and how the CM said certain things in the Assembly is an attack on the dignity of six crore women. As a Bihari, we all are embarrassed and appalled. The CM must apologise.”
Minister of State Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that “no parliamentary member has ever used such language”, and Nitish should “resign” and apologise to the nation.