Washington: Slamming Nitish Kumar for his derogatory remarks in the state assembly, African-American actress and singer Mary Millben has called on a "courageous" woman to "step up" and declare her candidacy for Bihar Chief Minister. Millben also asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to "empower a woman to lead in Bihar."
"After Nitish Kumar ji's comments, I believe a courageous woman needs to step up and declare her candidacy to run for Chief Minister of Bihar. If I were a citizen of India, I would move to Bihar and run for Chief Minister. The BJP should empower a woman to lead in Bihar. This would be the true sentiment of women's empowerment and development in response. Or Bihar, do as SRK admonished in Jawan, 'vote' and bring change," Mary Millben posted on X.
PM Modi comes down heavily on Nitish Kumar
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a strong attack on Nitish Kumar over his derogatory remarks against women in relation to population control and said crass words were uttered in the state assembly and there was "no shame".
Addressing an election rally in Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi did not name Nitish Kumar but referred to his remarks made on Tuesday.
Bihar CM sparks controversy
The Bihar Chief Minister on Tuesday sparked a controversy after he used derogatory language in the state assembly to explain the role of education and women in population control.
Kumar was speaking during the winter session of the Bihar Assembly. The Chief Minister made the remarks while underlining the need for girls' education to check population growth.
Nitish Kumar apologised for his comments
Following an uproar over his remarks, Kumar on Wednesday apologised and said he is taking back his words.
"If my words were wrong, then I apologise for that. If anyone got hurt by my words, I take them back," Kumar told reporters. His remarks also drew outrage from the National Commission for Women (NCW), which asked him to tender an unconditional apology.
