Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s opponents on Sunday cast doubts over his “mental health” after the septuagenarian’s erratic behaviour at a rally came under spotlight.
Kumar, who heads the JD(U), was in Nawada district to attend a rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was only the second public appearance of Kumar, who is on the wrong side of 70, since the Lok Sabha polls were announced three weeks ago.
The last time he was seen at a gathering was on Thursday, at yet another rally of the PM in Jamui. A couple of video footage of the Nawada rally went viral and the name Kumar was “trending” on X.
In one of these, Kumar appeared to bend towards the PM’s feet with arms outstretched, before greeting him with folded hands. In another clip, of his brief speech, Kumar can be heard wishing “4,000 plus (char hazar se zyada)” seats for the NDA, to which he returned a few months ago.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who served as Kumar’s deputy whenever his party shared power with JD(U), said he felt “anguish” over the conduct of his former boss. “I was aghast to see a photo in which Nitish Kumar can be seen touching the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is such an elderly person. Has been a chief minister for so long. Few of his counterparts have had such a long tenure,” said Yadav.