'Nothing wrong with Nitish Kumar': Manjhi defends Bihar CM amid national anthem row

'Nothing wrong with Nitish Kumar': Manjhi defends Bihar CM amid national anthem row

Asserting that the NDA was looking forward to winning the Bihar assembly elections under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar, Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday said there was nothing wrong with him and those who have entered politics recently cannot teach him how to respect the national anthem.

Kumar has been under attack from the opposition for allegedly "disrespecting" the national anthem at an event in Patna.

"Nitish Kumar has been the chief minister of Bihar for 20 years. His tenure has been marked by good governance and his acumen has earned plaudits the world over. We, in the NDA, are looking forward to winning the assembly polls later this year under his leadership," Manjhi, who heads the Hindustani Awam Morcha (S), told reporters in his Lok Sabha constituency Gaya.

On the controversy around Kumar's behaviour two days ago when he was seen smiling and waving at people while the national anthem was being played, Manjhi insisted, "There was nothing objectionable. There is nothing wrong with Nitish Kumar. Those who have entered politics recently cannot teach Nitish Kumar how to respect the national anthem." The allusion was to Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav who has been casting doubts on the "physical and mental health" of the CM.

When his attention was drawn to a poster put up by Yadav's RJD, calling the JD(U) supremo "khalnaayak" (villain), Manjhi shot back, "They deserve to be called villains themselves. In desperation for power, they are talking rubbish." Manjhi, who made his parliamentary debut last year at 80, had expressed similar doubts about the CM a couple of years ago.

Kumar, who was then with the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, had upbraided Manjhi inside the assembly, reminding him, "You became chief minister thanks to my munificence." Manjhi later staged a demonstration in protest, alleging that Kumar was being "served food laced with substances that could make him go insane".

However, the rapprochement came just ahead of last year's Lok Sabha elections, with Kumar's return to the NDA, and Manjhi's son Santosh getting inducted into the state cabinet.