Patna:

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for publicly touching the feet of BJP veteran leader RK Sinha during the Chitragupta Puja.

“He has a habit of touching the feet of the people,” said Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Nitish Kumar has previously also touched the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on multiple occasions while also making “pleading gestures” with the high police officials over recruitment in the police department.

During the NDA parties meeting held in Delhi on 7 June 2024, where Prime Minister Modi praised Kumar for his return to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In a moment of gratitude, Nitish Kumar bowed down and attempted to touch PM Modi’s feet, a gesture that the Prime Minister graciously intercepted, accepting the greeting warmly.

On 10 July 2024, during an inauguration event for the JP Ganga Path road segment from Gayaghat to Kangan Ghat in Patna, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had an unusual moment with his officer.

Frustrated by project delays, Nitish publicly urged an official to ensure timely completion, expressing his appeal by saying, “Will the work be done on time or not? I fold my hands, and if you say so, I will touch your feet.”

Nitish even began to bow before the officer to emphasize his point, though Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha and other leaders present quickly intervened to stop him from doing so.

Meanwhile, Lalu Prasad Yadav, accompanied by his daughter, MP Misa Bharti, visited the Ular Surya Temple in Dulhin Bazar on Tuesday, coinciding with the first day of Chhath Puja, known as Nahai-Khai.

This temple, revered as the third most significant Sun temple in India after the Konark Sun Temple in Puri and the Dev Surya Temple in the Aurangabad district of Bihar, holds a special place in the devotion of the people of Bihar, especially during Chhath Puja.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Patna:

Dramatic scenes played out at a Bihar Police event when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar requested, with folded hands, the state’s top cop Alok Raj to expedite the recruitment of police personnel.

The Chief Minister today attended a function during which 1,239 newly-appointed police officers were given appointment letters. Midway into his speech, Mr Kumar turned towards Bihar DGP Alok Raj and asked him if he would ensure more recruitment soon. “Jaldi kar na dijiyega? (Will you get this done soon?)” he asked, his hands folded. 

The senior police officer, visibly taken by surprise, saluted the Chief Minister. But Mr Kumar asked, “Tell me, will you get this done soon?”

The top cop then walked to the other rostrum on stage and said, “Bihar Police is committed to implementing the directions of the honourable Chief Minister. We will ensure quick recruitment and robust training,” Mr Raj said. “Thank you,” the Chief Minister responded.

The Chief Minister’s remarks come against the backdrop of the Opposition’s charge over Bihar’s law and order situation. Bihar is headed for Assembly polls next year and the Nitish Kumar-led BJP-JDU alliance government is facing the Opposition’s criticism over crime.

“There is no district, no state where murder, loot, kidnapping, rape is not happening. But there is no action. If an FIR is lodged, there is zero investigation. People do not get justice. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar cannot run Bihar anymore,” Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, told the media last week.