A heated exchange erupted between ruling and opposition MLAs in the Bihar Assembly on Friday over Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s alleged “insult” to the national anthem.
As soon as the session began, opposition members stormed into the Well, holding placards and raising slogans, demanding an “unconditional apology” from CM. Some even called for his resignation, accusing him of ‘disrespecting’ the national anthem during an event on Thursday, as per the PTI report.
Despite Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav’s repeated requests to raise the issue during Zero Hour, the protests continued. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary attempted to intervene, stating that the government was willing to respond but insisted that the matter should be addressed through proper procedures.
As the opposition remained adamant, the Speaker was forced to adjourn the House until 2 PM.
The controversy stems from an incident at the Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025 inauguration at the Pataliputra Sports Complex on Thursday. The CM left his cabinet colleagues and officials bewildered when he suddenly stood up and walked off the dais just as the moderator announced the national anthem.
Following the adjournment of the House, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav stated, “It’s a serious matter as it is an insult to the national anthem by the CM. This is also an insult to the countrymen by the CM. This shows that CM is not fit to run the state.”
“The CM should resign from the post. We demand an unconditional apology from him. It is surprising that the CM is not saying even a single word on the issue. Why are NDA leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, maintaining a stoic silence over it?” he questioned.
Some opposition MLAs also said that they might meet Governor Arif Mohammed Khan over the issue.
Petition Filed Against Nitish Kumar
In response to the issue, a petition was also registered before a Bihar court on Friday. It was filed before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (West), Muzaffarpur, by local advocate Suraj Kumar.
After filing the plea, the advocate said “The chief minister brought disrepute to the state by his conduct on Thursday during the inauguration of a sporting event. The court has been urged to direct the police to lodge a case against the CM under relevant sections of the BNS and Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act”.
The matter was posted by the court for hearing on March 25, he added.
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