PM Modi holds back Nitish Kumar as the latter tries to touch his feet during a function in Darbhanga on Wednesday.
Credit: PTI Photo
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday drew a taunt from Tejashwi Yadav, his former deputy, for touching the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was in the state for a function.
The RJD leader responded to queries from journalists about the behaviour of the JD(U) boss, who is in his 70s and had, after finishing his speech at the function in Darbhanga, bent to touch the feet of Modi, who is less than a year his senior.
In a video clip that has gone viral on social media, the Prime Minister can be seen getting up from his chair, startled, holding Kumar by his shoulders and asking the alliance partner to take his seat.
When Yadav was asked about the incident, he quipped, "What is unusual? He (CM) has been of late falling at the feet of all. He did so even to officials of his government."
The allusion was to Kumar's behaviour at some functions earlier this year where he had offered to touch the feet of IAS officers and an engineer of a private company to shame them into speedy completion of projects.
The conduct has not gone down well with critics of the longest serving CM, who frown upon Kumar's show of extreme humility before Modi on earlier occasions, including at the swearing in ceremony of Yogi Adityanath in 2022 and a rally during the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Earlier this month, former Rajya Sabha MP and BJP veteran R K Sinha was taken aback when Kumar came to attend a religious function hosted by him and touched his feet.
The Prime Minister was in the north Bihar town to lay the foundation stone for AIIMS.