Patna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, currently embroiled in a controversy over his population control remark, courted another controversy on Thursday as he yelled at his former confidante, Jitan Ram Manjhi, inside the state assembly. In a fit of rage, Kumar said Manjhi became the chief minister of Bihar because of his “stupidity”.

The outburst came after Manjhi questioned the state government’s caste survey. Manjhi was a JDU leader and a close confidante of Nitish Kumar. He became the Bihar chief minister in 2014, but was forced to quit the post after a year. Miffed with the party’s decision, he formed Hindustani Awam Morcha. His party is now a BJP ally in Bihar.

“He keeps saying he too has been a chief minister. He became the chief minister because of my stupidity. Does he have any sense (ye bolta hai ki hum Mukhyamantri the. Meri moorkhta ki vajah se mukhyamantri bana. Isko koi sense hai)”, Kumar said on camera, triggering ruckus in the house.

Kumar’s party colleagues can be seen in the viral video tugging his kurta in an unsuccessful attempt to calm him down.

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As BJP MLAs rose in protest, Kumar said Jitan Ram Manjhi wants to be the governor of Bihar. “Please oblige him,” he added.

The Bihar assembly was later adjourned for the day after the house passed bills that raised reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for SCs, STs, EBCs and OBCs – from 50 per cent to 65 per cent.

Manjhi later warned that he would lodge a complaint against Kumar with the governor and union home minister Amit Shah. He also demanded the President’s rule.

“Only a couple of days ago he had brought shame to the state through his remarks about women. His repeated misconduct shows he is no more in a sound state of mind and cannot be entrusted to hold such an important post,” he added.

Some BJP MLAs claimed Kumar had insulted a Dalit.

His deputy Tejashwi Yadav came to his defense again. Yadav, who had downplayed Kumar’s controversial population remark as “sex education”, today said the CM hasn’t uttered any anti-Dalit word ever.

“The CM has never uttered any anti-Dalit word… Such language is seen in the BJP. I should not mention much, there is no gain in recalling the past… The way leaders of the BJP use derogatory language against my father, and my entire family, is it hidden? Should I bring it on record? In politics, such allegations are exchanged… But we should focus on positive works,” he said.

With inputs from PTI, ANI