Lagatar24 Desk
Patna: In an unexpected turn of events, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed his frustration over the delay in a road project in Patna by offering to touch the feet of a private company representative to expedite the work. This unusual gesture took place at an event where a segment of the “JP Ganga Path,” an expressway along the Ganga river designed to alleviate city traffic, was inaugurated.
During the function, attended by notable figures such as Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and local MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, a progress report on the project was presented. Visibly dissatisfied with the slow progress, Kumar urged the company official to complete the work by the end of the year.
“Kahiye to hum aapka pair chhu lete hain (I will touch your feet if that is what you want),” Kumar said in frustration. The startled official quickly responded, “Sir, please don’t do this,” while top government officials and political leaders intervened to prevent further escalation.
This incident followed a similar episode a week earlier, when Kumar offered to touch the feet of a high-ranking IAS officer, pressing for quick resolution of land disputes through comprehensive surveys. Kumar believes such disputes are a primary cause of violent crimes in Bihar.
The JP Ganga Path event concluded without further disruptions, but the Chief Minister’s remarks quickly became a topic of discussion on social media, drawing criticism from the opposition.
Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav released a statement, sharing video footage of the incident and criticizing Kumar as “lachaar (powerless),” claiming he was always ready to fall at the feet of officials, whether from the government or the private sector. Yadav, whose RJD is the largest party in the Bihar assembly, also accused Kumar of leading a party with only “43 MLAs” in the 243-member House and implied that “a handful of serving and retired bureaucrats” were actually running the state.
