Bihar Assembly sees war of words over Nitish ‘insulting’ national anthem

Bihar Chief Nitish Kumar was accused of “insulting” the national anthem, which caused a verbal spat between the government and opposition MLAs to erupt at Friday’s assembly.
An “unconditional apology” from Kumar was demanded by opposition members as they poured into the Well with signs and shouted slogans as the proceedings got underway.

Additionally, several members called for the CM’s resignation, claiming that during a Thursday event, he denigrated the national anthem.

The demonstrations continued even after Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav repeatedly asked them to bring up the matter during Zero Hour.

Vijay Kumar Choudhary, the minister of parliamentary affairs, also stepped in, saying that while the government may respond to the matter, it must do so in accordance with the laws now in place. The speaker postponed the House till 2:00 pm because the opposition MLAs would not budge.

When the moderator declared it was time for the national anthem at Thursday’s Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025 opening ceremony at the Pataliputra Sports Complex, the chief minister startled his cabinet colleagues and officials by suddenly rising from his seat and walking down the dais.

After the adjournment of the House, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav said, “It’s a serious matter as it is an insult to the national anthem by the CM. This is also an insult to the countrymen by the CM. This shows that CM is not fit to run the state.” “The CM should resign from the post. We demand an unconditional apology from him. It is surprising that the CM is not saying even a single word on the issue. Why are NDA leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, maintaining a stoic silence over it?” he asked.