It was a 25-minute speech heavily laden with bloopers, at the end of which, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was seen touching the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with whom he was sharing stage at Bihar’s Nawada today. The Prime Minister, who was apparently waiting for Mr Kumar to finish, was heard joshing him. “You gave such a good speech there is nothing left for me to say,” a leader who overheard them, quoted PM Modi as saying. At this, the Chief Minister, all smiles, bent and touched his feet.
Mr Kumar’s speech went viral on social media shortly.
Especially the bit where the Chief Minister is heard saying in the coming general elections, the people will give all their votes to the Prime Minister, who will be “back with four la — (checks himself) 4000 MPs”.
आज नीतीश जी ने तो 4000 पार का नारा लगा दिया। 🤣 pic.twitter.com/Sef6ACaSxo
— Kanchana Yadav (@Kanchanyadav000) April 7, 2024
The total strength of the Lok Sabha is 543 and 400 is the target PM Modi has set the NDA.
There were other faux pas too. And what a BJP leader privately remarked was an “entirely avoidable mention” of fencing of graveyards that his government has taken up.
At one point, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, senior leader of Mr Kumar’s Janata Dal United, sitting in the front row of the dais, could be seen fidgeting and checking his watch. He then gestured to the Chief Minister, presumably to wrap up his speech. Several leaders were even seen standing up in anticipation, looking impatiently at the podium.
Mr Kumar, though, took his time and finished a couple of minutes later.
Sources in the BJP said with the seat sharing talks finished, Mr Kumar need not present himself for any further meetings.
Over the last couple of years, Mr Kumar has made more headlines for his faux pas than anything else. His indiscreet remarks on female impregnation and linking it with education had upset many, forcing him to apologise.
In September last year, at a Janta Darbar session, when a man complained about an issue concerning the state home ministry, Mr Kumar ordered an official to telephone the home minister, forgetting that he himself holds the home portfolio.
Mr Kumar’s former Deputy, Rashtriya Janata Dal Chief Tejashwi Yadav said, “Today I saw a picture of Nitish Kumar where he touched the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.
“We felt very bad. What has happened? Nitish Kumar is our guardian…There is no other Chief Minister as experienced as Nitish Kumar and he is touching the feet of Prime Minister Modi,” he told reporters.
