Nitish Kumar Apologizes for Divisive Comments on Educated Women and Fertility Rate

Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, apologized in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday for his divisive comments he made in the House the previous day on educated women and the fertility rate. The BJP had called for his resignation because of these statements.

Nitish got up from his chair and apologized to everybody who was offended. He even criticized himself. With remorse, I say. I, your chief minister, am to be humiliated if any one has been hurt by a remark of mine. Not only am I embarrassed, but I'm also saying I'm sorry. I retract everything of it. I have always supported women. We have been of great assistance to them.

Even after the Bihar chief minister apologized, the BJP MLAs, headed by the leader of the Opposition, Vijay Kumar Sinha, continued to cause a stir by raising and waving chairs in the air.

The chief minister said that even the BJP had agreed that the government had chosen to raise the quota barrier in order to aid the advancement of women from the other backward castes (OBC) and very backward castes (EBC). "Yesterday, you all agreed, but it seems like you were given instructions to criticize me. I thus retract any claims I may have made. Anyone who finds fault with me is welcome. However, I have accomplished a significant feat for the state by raising the reserve to 75%. We're going to pass a law on it," Nitish said.

Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, the speaker, stepped in and praised Nitish for his apologies. The Speaker said, "No chief minister has ever criticized himself in such a manner," and the meeting was postponed until after lunch.

Nitish also expressed regret earlier in the day in front of the media on the Assembly campus, pleading with them to see his body of work as a whole rather than concentrating on a single error.