BJP objects to Tej Pratap shouting at MLA in Bihar Assembly

Patna, March 11: Opposition BJP today objected to the shouting of Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav at a party MLA for asking a supplementary question while he was replying to a query by another member in the Assembly.

During the Question Hour, Yadav got angry when BJP legislator Vijay Sinha asked a supplementary question while he was replying to a query of JD(U)'s Virendra Kumar Singh on primary health centre. Yadav, the elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, shouted at Sinha as to why he was "interfering" when he was answering a question raised by another member.

BJP MLA and former Leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav took objection to it and said, "The minister should know that a query in the Assembly is a property of the House and every member had a right to ask a supplementary question which he cannot prohibit."

As he urged Speaker Vijay Chaudhary to "make this clear" to Yadav about who is a "first timer", some RJD and Congress members intervened favouring the minister.

Lalit Yadav of RJD and Congress Legislature Party leader Sadanand Singh said the BJP MLA was speaking without the permission of the Chair and it is against the rule. The health minister, who was not present to take questions related to his department last week, drawing criticism from NDA members, answered the questions today.

Labour Minister Vijay Prakash sat by the side of Tej Pratap to help him in answering the questions. Principal Secretary Health R K Mahajan, who was OSD of Lalu Prasad when he was the Railway Minister, was present in officers' gallery throughout the Question Hour to assist the minister.

On some occasion, Tej Pratap Yadav received praise from opposition members for agreeing to demands of recruiting doctors or taking action against officials not performing duty carefully, to which he responded by smiling.

PTI