NEW DELHI, Mar 21: The opposition parties in Bihar led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Friday staged demonstrations in the Assembly demanding an apology from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for an alleged insult to the national anthem during a sports event in Patna.
The protests were held in both Houses of the State Legislature and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Tejashwi Yadav said in the history of Indian politics, for the first time, a Chief Minister had insulted the national anthem and must apologise to the nation.
On Thursday during the inaugural function of the SepakTakraw World Cup held at Patna’s Pataliputra Indoor Stadium, Mr Kumar was seen laughing and talking to his Principal Secretary Deepak Kumar when the national anthem was being played.
As soon as the proceedings of the Assembly began, MLAs of the RJD, Congress and Left parties gathered at the Well holding the placards and banners demanding Mr Kumar’s apology. They also held a protest outside the House.
Mr Yadav told the media, “Nitish ji is elder to me and I respect him a lot. However, the way he insulted the national anthem yesterday, we are ashamed of being a Bihari due to his conduct. Nitish ji has made us bow our heads in shame. A Chief Minister is the leader of the State but a very unfortunate incident happened yesterday for the first time in the history of Indian politics.”
He further said, “Today, the entire country is concerned about Nitish ji, the beloved Chief Minister of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Is the RSS-BJP supporting this insult? We demand that he apologise to 140 crore Indians. We have also moved an adjournment motion in the Assembly to discuss this issue.”
At the Council, Opposition MLCs led by Leader of the Opposition Rabri Devi demanded an apology from Mr Kumar. “He has insulted Bihar and the entire nation. He should resign and make his son [Nishant Kumar] the Chief Minister of Bihar if he is mentally unfit,” Ms Devi said outside the Council.
Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav rejected the opposition adjournment motion, following which the Opposition MLAs entered the well shouting slogans such as “Rashtragaan Ka Apmaan Nahi Sahega Hindustan [India will not tolerate the insult of national anthem].”
Replying to the allegations made by the Leader of the Opposition, senior Janata Dal (United) leader and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said the whole of Bihar knows how much respect Mr Kumar gives to the national anthem and the country’s traditions.
JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar hit back, showing an old photograph of Ms Devi and her husband and former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad. “Look at this photo, it was January 26, 2002 when Rabri Devi was Chief Minister and Vinod Chandra Pande was Bihar Governor. When the Governor hoisted the national flag, both Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi failed to stand up and remained seated when the national anthem was played,” he said.
The issue echoed in the Parliament also, with RJD MPs including Manoj Jha, Misa Bharti, Sanjay Yadav and others protesting against Mr Kumar with placards and demanding apology. Several BJP leaders in Bihar said the act of Mr Kumar was unintentional and the Opposition should not use it to gain publicity.
(Manas Dasgupta)
