Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday refused to wear a cap offered to him during an event organised by the Bihar State Madrasa Education Board.
The incident occurred when Nitish Kumar was presented with a cap typically worn by Muslims. A video of the incident has surfaced and is going viral on social media.
The video shows that when a member of the board tried to place the cap on his head, he stopped him and took the cap in his hand. Later, Bihar's Minority Minister Zama Khan approached Kumar and attempted to put the cap on him. In response, Kumar held Khan's hand and made him wear the cap instead.
Kumar’s gesture comes just months ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. Muslims make up around 18% of Bihar’s population.
Madarsa Teachers Protest
A group of Madarsa teachers were also seen protesting during the event in front of CM Nitish Kumar. They also handed over some papers to the Chief Minister.
JDU MLC Defends Nitish Kumar
Defending Nitish Kumar's gesture, his party's MLC Khalid Anwar said Mr Kumar enhanced the respect of the minority community by placing his "crown" on the head of his minister Jama Khan.
He emphasised that Kumar has always worked for the rights of Bihar's Muslims and follows a secular ideology.
Nitish Kumar Topi & Tilak Remark In 2013
In 2013, without naming then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar had criticised him by saying that one must wear both a "topi" and a "tilak" to run the country. While he did not mention name, it was widely understood that he was referring to Modi, who had declined to wear a cap offered by a Muslim cleric.
At the time, Kumar strongly opposed the BJP's decision to project Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 election, to the extent that he broke the alliance with the BJP.
