Bihar: Didn’t seem mentally fit’: RJD MP Misa Bharti slams CM Nitish Kumar over ’disrespect’ to national anthem row

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Member of Parliament Misa Bharti has raised questions on the ‘physical and mental’ health of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Bharti, daughter of former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to think in whose hands have they have given Bihar.

“During the national anthem, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar did not look physically and mentally well. I want to ask PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah whether you found his mental state to be fine,” Bharti, the RJD MP from Patliputra, told news agency ANI on March 21.

Nitish Kumar, 74, faced opposition ire again after he was seen laughing and talking while the national anthem was being played at an international sports event in Patna. Even before the national anthem was played, the 74-year-old politician abruptly left the dais only to be pulled back by officials.

‘PM Modi should think’

“He keeps insulting women, children every day… PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should think in whose hands Bihar is,” Bharti said.

Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United is an alliance partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The assembly elections in the state are scheduled for later this year.

Known for his switches, Nitish had snapped ties with the saffron party in 2013, only to return four years later, after having shared power with the RJD between 2015 and 2017. In 2022, he again crossed over to the RJD-helmed Mahagathbandhan, with Tejashwi as his deputy chief minister. But Nitish switched back to the NDA last year and took oath as Bihar CM for the record ninth time.

Earlier, opposition leader and former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav accused Nitish Kumar of insulting the state and the nation after the video of the event went viral.

“At least please do not insult the national anthem, Hon’ble Chief Minister. You insult youth, students, women and elderly people every day. Sometimes you clap on Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom day and mock his martyrdom, and sometimes you clap on the national anthem!” Tejaswi Yadav, Nitish’s former deputy chief minister, wrote on X.

During the national anthem, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar did not look physically and mentally well.

The occasion was the inauguration of the Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025 being held at thePataliputra Sports Complex, with 300 players and support staff from 21 countries taking part. Countries including China, Indonesia, Japan, Iran, Nepal, France, Germany, Italy, USA, Brazil and hosts India are taking part in the tournament, which ends on March 25.

Nitish Kumar, the JD-U chief had sparked a similar controversy on January this year when he was seen clapping after paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 77th death anniversary, which is also observed as Martyrs’ Day. A video of the incident was also viral on social media.