Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during an election campaign rally.
Credit: PTI Photo
Patna: Till recently, Nitish Kumar was considered a strong ally of the BJP in Bihar, given his political and administrative experience, besides tall stature. So much so that when the seat-sharing arrangement for the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar was done, Nitish’s pocket organisation — the JD (U) — got 16 seats to contest, while the BJP 17. This ‘equal footing’ was a mark of respect by Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards his one-time rival Nitish, who came third in the 2020 Assembly elections by bagging merely 40-odd seats in the 243-member House.
However, the same Nitish Kumar may not be seen sharing the dais with Modi during the upcoming rallies of the latter in Bihar. Reason: His recent gaffes have embarrassed the BJP in general and Prime Minister Modi in particular.
During a recent Modi’s rally, Nitish hit the headlines for three wrong reasons: First, he took 20 minutes to finish his speech even though Modi (the last speaker at the rally) was waiting and looking at his wrist watch. As if this was not enough, Nitish inadvertently said Modi will win 4,000 seats during this Lok Sabha election even as the PM himself looked bemused over the faux pas by the Bihar CM. To make matters worse, a video surfaced (and went viral) where Nitish was seen touching the feet of Modi, his contemporary (as both are in their 70s).
Mental state
Nitish's mental health condition became the talk of the town after the Bihar CM repeated the same faux pas during another rally and reiterated that BJP will win more than 4,000 seats this parliamentary election. However, this time he was soon corrected by one of his aides on the dais. “Sorry, I mistakenly said 4,000. It should be 400 seats,” said a sheepish Nitish, while his ministers and aides looked hugely embarrassed.
It was then decided by the BJP to no more invite Nitish at any of Modi's rallies as his “gaffes cause embarrassment to PM”. But officially, it was explained that since polls in Bihar were spread over seven phases, the PM and Nitish should address different rallies at different places.
But the RJD and Congress leaders were quick to seize the matter. "When I saw Nitish touching the feet of Modi, I felt ashamed, as both the senior leaders are contemporaries,” said Tejashwi, Nitish’s former deputy, without touching upon the delicate issue of Nitish’s ill-health. The Leader of the Opposition in Bihar, however, added, “The media should find out what exactly is the reason that Nitish has been asked to stay away from PM’s rally.”
RJD’s Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti, contesting the Lok Sabha election from Patliputra, was more forthcoming. "Nitish erred in saying 400 seats and instead said 4,000 Lok Sabha seats. Hence, he apparently touched Modi’s feet asking for forgiveness,” said Bharti, adding Nitish "strange behaviour, of late" could be one of the reasons why he was not invited to PM’s rally in Gaya and Purnea on April 16 and perhaps wouldn't be invited to Modi’s rallies any more.
Last year too, Nitish remained in the news for the wrong reasons when he made uncharitable remarks while speaking about sex education in the Assembly. He later apologised for his misdemeanour.