PATNA, Feb. 11 -- What started as a demand for an apology quickly spiralled into pandemonium in the Bihar Legislative Council on Tuesday, with all Opposition members being forcibly removed by marshals after a heated confrontation that nearly turned physical. The opposition members were enraged over chief minister Nitish Kumar's controversial reference to former chief minister Rabri Devi as "yeh jo ladki hai" (this girl) during Monday's session - a remark the Opposition slammed as deeply insulting to women. The trouble began as soon as the House assembled for the day's business. RJD members, led by vocal protests against Nitish Kumar, rose from their seats demanding an immediate apology for what they called a derogatory comment rooted in old political grudges. On Monday, during a fiery debate on deteriorating law and order and rising crimes against women - including cases like the suspicious death of a NEET aspirant and the rape of a minor in Darbhanga - Nitish had defended his government's record while taking a dig at the RJD's past tenure. Pointing towards Rabri Devi, the Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, he reportedly said she had been made the CM simply because her husband, Lalu Prasad, handed over the reins before going to jail in the fodder scam case, with no real work to her credit. By Tuesday morning, the Opposition was in no mood to relent on its demand. RJD legislators trooped into the well, raising slogans like "Tanashahi nahi chalegi" (dictatorship won't be tolerated) and "Mahilaon ka apman band karo" (stop insulting women). The noise escalated when RJD MLC Sunil Singh and rural works minister Ashok Chaudhary locked horns in a bitter exchange. Both the leaders were said to be engaged in trading personal barbs, with voices rising and gestures turning aggressive - at one point, they appeared to lunge towards each other, stopping just short of a scuffle. Accusations flew thick and fast. The ruling side claimed Sunil Singh used unparliamentary and offensive language against Chaudhary, who belongs to the Dalit community. Industries minister Dilip Jaiswal later told reporters outside the house that the remarks were so vile they couldn't be repeated in public, calling it an outright insult to the "temple of democracy." He demanded a review of video footage and a public apology from the offending member. RJD leader Sunil Singh, in turn, hit back, labelling Chaudhary a "tapori" (rowdy) and alleging the minister had abused him first and even tried to hit him with papers from the proceedings. Council chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh made repeated appeals for calm, but with the din refusing to die down - and counter-slogans from treasury benches like "Aasan ka apman nahi sahenge" (We won't tolerate insult to the Chair) adding fuel - he had little choice. Invoking strict disciplinary measures, Singh ordered the marshals to clear the opposition members from the House for the rest of the day. "There will be no compromise on the dignity of this House," he said, adding that the matter would be investigated with reference to relevant Supreme Court rulings. Outside the Council, Rabri Devi didn't hold back. "Nitish ji keeps going on about boys and girls. His language and behaviour are an insult to women," she alleged, as RJD supporters mounted an attack against the government on social media. The episode has only deepened the rift between the NDA coalition - led by Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and backed by the BJP - and the RJD-led opposition, at a time when the budget session is meant to focus on governance and development. On Monday also, the Upper House was adjourned by the council chairman after the opposition members asked for debate on the incident of murder of a girl aspirant for NEET in Patna and rape of a minor in Darbhanga. The Opposition members led by Rabri Devi had trooped inside the well, after the chair insisted that there was a norm for every debate in the house. RJD MLC Abdul Bari Siddiqui had sought debate on the two incidents along with general deterioration in the law and order....