Video: Nitish Kumar Offered 'Topi' At Bihar Madrasa Event. This Happens

Nearly twelve years after he took a swipe at Narendra Modi, then his bitter rival, and said a leader has to embrace both 'topi' (cap) and 'tilak' to run the country, a video showing JDU president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar refusing to wear a 'topi' at a madrasa event is viral.

At an event of the Bihar State Madrasa Education Board, the Chief Minister was offered a cap usually worn by Muslims. But he did not wear it and put it on the head of his party colleague and the state Minority Welfare Minister, Mohd Zama Khan.

The JDU chief's refusal to wear the cap - the act of wearing it is labelled by critics as 'minority appeasement' - is significant months ahead of Bihar election, for which all parties are wooing the crucial 18 per cent minority vote bank.

Interestingly, back in 2013, Mr Kumar had said one has to wear both "topi" and "tilak" to run the country. While he did not take names, it was clear that he was referring to Narendra Modi, then Gujarat Chief Minister, for refusing to wear a cap offered by a Muslim cleric. At that point, Mr Kumar was opposed to the BJP choosing Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 election, so much so that he broke his old partnership with the BJP in protest.

Twelve years and many political flip-flops later, Mr Kumar is now gearing up for his next poll fight in battleground Bihar, and the Narendra Modi-led BJP is his ally.

At the centenary event of the state madrasa board, the Chief Minister stressed that his government has worked extensively for the minorities. Referring to rival RJD's rule in Bihar, he said, "Did any work happen before 2005? No work for Muslims happened. Now, madrasa teachers are paid on par with government school teachers. We started this. We also worked for the rights of Muslim women."

Not everyone was impressed by the Chief Minister's claims. Chaotic scenes played out at the event when a group of teachers protested over salary dues. The Chief Minister later accepted a memorandum from the protesters.

Speaking to the media outside, a protester said the Chief Minister has disappointed them. "He kept talking about 2005, what happened in 2005, what happened in 2006. The world has moved forward rapidly. He was showing us old photographs. This is not fair. We had hoped he would address our current issues," he said.

Defending the Chief Minister, JD(U) MLC Khalid Anwar said Mr Kumar enhanced the respect of the minority community by placing his "crown" - the cap - on the head of his minister Jama Khan. He stressed that the chief minister has always worked for the rights of Bihar's Muslims and follows a secular ideology. Attacking the RJD, he alleged that they are trying to spread communal tension in the state.