A month after becoming Bihar’s chief minister for the 10th time, Nitish Kumar has opened himself up to more questions about his mental health. During a government event in Patna, he pulled down a woman’s hijab.
Nitish Kumar remove doctor Hijab, Opposition Hit
A video now circulating widely shows the 74-year-old JD(U) leader handing a certificate to an AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) doctor and signaling for her to remove her hijab. Before she could respond, Kumar reached out and pulled down the hijab, revealing her mouth and chin.
Some people in the background laughed while Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary tried to intervene and stop Kumar. The Congress party condemned Kumar’s act as “vile” and called for his resignation, while the RJD questioned whether this demonstrated that his mental health was declining.
“What has happened to Nitish ji? His mental state has now reached a completely pitiable condition,” the party wrote in Hindi on X. RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad stated that Kumar’s actions reflect the JDU-BJP coalition’s attitude toward women.
Garland Row
Weeks before the Bihar elections in November, which the JDU and BJP won, Nitish Kumar faced criticism after a video of him garlanding a woman at a public meeting went viral. A JDU MP tried to stop him, but Kumar rebuked him.
Citing these incidents, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor and other leaders expressed concerns about Kumar’s mental health leading up to the elections, stating he was unfit to govern. Such remarks were seen as contributing to the NDA’s remarkable victory, securing over 200 of the state’s 243 seats while the Opposition Mahagathbandhan was left with only 35.
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