Watch | Bihar CM Nitish Kumar slammed for talking, laughing during national anthem – ‘ab bhi kuch bacha hai'

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar faced opposition ire again after he was seen laughing and talking while the national anthem was being played at an international sports event in Patna. Even before the national anthem was played, the 74-year-old politician abruptly left the dais only to be brought back by officials.

Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav accused Nitish Kumar of insulting the state and the nation after the video of the event went viral.

The occasion was the inauguration of the Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025 being held at the Pataliputra Sports Complex, with 300 players and support staff from 21 countries taking part. Countries including China, Indonesia, Japan, Iran, Nepal, France, Germany, Italy, USA, Brazil and hosts India are taking part in the tournament, which ends on March 25.

Leaves the dais

First, the CM left cabinet colleagues and officials flummoxed when he abruptly got up from his seat and walked down the dais, as soon as the moderator announced it was time for the national anthem. Finally, Nitish Kumar was brought back to the stage by the officials present and stood for the national anthem to be played.

Worse, in a video clip widely shared on social media, the Janata Dal-United chief is seen laughing and talking to an IAS officer and his Principal Secretary, Deepak Kumar, who stood straight next to him on the dais.

The chief minister is seen tapping the officer on his shoulder and trying to get his attention. Nitish Kumar is also seen smiling, folding his palms and gesturing at someone in the audience too. Deepak Kumar was seen pulling at the Chief Minister's sleeves to get him to stay still.

The video of the incident went viral quickly. Top opposition leaders from Bihar, including former chief minister Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav, were quick to highlight the incident and criticise the chief minister.

Claps on Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary

"At least please do not insult the national anthem, Hon'ble Chief Minister. You insult youth, students, women and elderly people every day. Sometimes you clap on Mahatma Gandhi's martyrdom day and mock his martyrdom, and sometimes you clap on the national anthem!" Tejaswi Yadav, Nitish's former deputy chief minister, wrote on X.

Nitish Kumar had sparked a row on January this year when he was seen clapping after paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 77th death anniversary, which is also observed as Martyrs’ Day. A video of the incident had also gone viral on social media.

"PS: Let me remind you that you are the Chief Minister of a big state. You are not mentally and physically stable even for a few seconds and your being in this position in such an unconscious state is a matter of great concern for the state. Do not insult Bihar like this again and again," he added.

Tejashwi Yadav's father Lalu Yadav also posted the video on X. "India will not tolerate insult to the national anthem. People of Bihar, is there anything left now?"

(With PTI inputs)