New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s unusual behaviour during an event with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday has come under the radar of the Opposition, with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav asking if the 74-year-old is “mentally healthy”.
With elections just weeks away, Kumar’s gesture of sitting with folded hands for an extended duration during the Skill Convocation Ceremony for ITI toppers from across the country, where PM Modi presented the students with certificates under the Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh 2025, is being questioned by his rivals.
In the video, the CM is also seen smiling at intervals while keeping his hands folded.
“How do you feel seeing the chief minister of a state in such a pitiable state? Does the chief minister, who is behaving strangely, appear mentally healthy to you?” RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav asked on X, sharing a video of Kumar folding and shaking his hands during the event.
“Has this condition been deliberately created by their special Bhunja party, at the behest of the BJP, under the pretext of offering prasad or other food items? The majority of Biharis want to know this truth,” Yadav further wrote.
The ceremony was held at the Vigyan Bhawan here on Saturday and Kumar attended it virtually. A video of the event shows Kumar sitting with folded hands for an extended duration. At one point, he looks sideways and smiles.
एक प्रदेश के मुख्यमंत्री को इस दयनीय स्थिति में देख आपको कैसा लग रहा है? क्या अजीब हरकते करते मा॰ मुख्यमंत्री जी आपको मानसिक रूप से स्वस्थ दिखाई दे रहे है?
क्या साजिशन इनकी ऐसी हालत बीजेपी के इशारे पर इनकी ख़ास भूंजा पार्टी ने प्रसाद या अन्य खाद्य पदार्थ खिलाने के बहाने की है?… pic.twitter.com/1JhRwi8DoR
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) October 5, 2025
“A Bihari folds his hands before a Gujarati for minutes. And he is no ordinary Bihari, he is the chief minister of our state,” RJD national spokesperson Priyanka Bharti wrote on X in Hindi, calling Kumar’s gesture an insult to Bihar.
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Not the first time
This is not the first time that his unusual conduct has raised concerns about his health.
In March, Kumar sparked a controversy when he was seen laughing and speaking to his principal secretary Deepak Kumar while the national anthem was being played in the background at a sports event in Patna.
A video of the incident went viral, prompting sharp criticism from the opposition, which labelled his actions as “insulting and disrespectful” to the country.
Around the same time, during a public function attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Bapu Sabhagar Auditorium in Patna, Kumar faced backlash on social media and from opposition parties for placing his arm around the shoulders of a woman on the stage. The event was organised to launch various central and state projects worth over ₹800 crore.
एक गुजराती के आगे, एक बिहारी मिनटों हाथ जोड़े हुए है; कोई आम बिहारी नहीं, हमारे प्रदेश के CM है।
ये बिहारी अस्मिता का अपमान है।
2 गुजराती द्वारा बिहार पर कब्जे की कोशिश है, ये लोग किसी गुजराती को बिहार का CM बनाने की साजिश रच रहे है!
दुखदाई है 😔 pic.twitter.com/l9a0svKke1
— Priyanka Bharti (@priyanka2bharti) October 4, 2025
“Just see how Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is pulling towards himself a woman inan objectionable manner with Home Minister Amit Shah looking on,” the RJD wrote on its official X handle.
Earlier, in November 2024 too, Kumar made headlines when he attempted to touch the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public event in Darbhanga. The unexpected gesture caught many off guard and quickly went viral on social media.
“What has happened to @NitishKumar ji? Is he in sound mental health? Or is he under any pressure from the Union government? His consistent childish conduct these days indicates something may be wrong with him,” wrote social media user Deependra Mohan Sinha.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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