- Nitish Kumar attended ITI skill convocation where PM Modi gave certificates to toppers
- Kumar sat with folded hands for nearly a minute during the virtual convocation ceremony
- Opposition has questioned Kumar's health amid his recent unusual public gestures
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar virtually attended a skill convocation ceremony for ITI toppers from across the country on Saturday, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented certificates to the students under the Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh 2025 initiative.
The chief minister, however, drew attention after he sat with folded hands for what seemed like a long time, nearly a minute, while another leader read out details of the programme.
He slightly shook his hands as he kept them folded, and looked sideways for a moment. He also smiled at one point.
Kumar, who also heads the Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), has faced questions from the Opposition over his health. They have often attacked him over what they called unstable and erratic behaviour in public of late, and raised concerns on his ability to run the state.
With the Bihar assembly election set to be held soon, Kumar is likely to face more attacks from rivals over his inexplicable gestures in public.
In March, he came under Opposition attack again after he was seen on camera laughing and talking during the national anthem at a sports event in Patna. His Principal Secretary Deepak Kumar was seen pulling at the chief minister's sleeves to get him to stay still.
Earlier too, Kumar walked off the dais when the national anthem was announced and went to shake hands with participants at an event.
Kumar was also seen placing his arm around a woman's shoulder at an event to mark the launch of central and state projects in Patna in March. This provoked a backlash from the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
The JD(U) and its ally BJP have publicly defended him even as the Opposition stepped up their attacks.
Long before the Opposition raised questions on his health, Kumar had built a reputation for his spontaneous and unconventional gestures that made headlines.
As recently as May, he left people surprised and amused at an event in Patna when he placed a sapling on an officer's head. The Education Department officer, S Siddharth, had presented the sapling to the chief minister as part of the customary welcome.
While such acts were sometimes seen as humorous or symbolic, they also drew criticism from political opponents, particularly from RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
It was just a day ago that Kumar held a meeting with some 400 JD(U) workers from across the state at his house in Patna to discuss the upcoming assembly election. The event highlighted the JD(U) chief is in charge and ready for the big battle, despite what the Opposition says about his health.
There is also speculation about the political debut of Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar, though the chief minister has consistently maintained silence on the matter. Nishant Kumar occasionally gave public statements and asked people to support his father in the upcoming election.
