Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar folded his hands and moved to touch the feet of an ‘IAS officer’ during an event on Wednesday. In a viral video, Kumar could be heard telling the officer, "Kahiye to hum aapka paer choo len [I shall touch your feet if that is what you want]". He then moved to stand up with folded hands.
According to news agency ANI, Nitish Kumar was urging the IAS officer to speed up the extension of JP Ganga Path to Kangan Ghat in Patna. However, PTI reported that the chief minister was speaking to a private company representative.
The incident happened at a function where a stretch of "JP Ganga Path", an expressway along the river that promises to ease traffic congestion in the city, was dedicated to the public on Wednesday.
Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad was also present during the inauguration of the JP Ganga Path from Gaya Ghat to Kangan Ghat, in Patna on Wednesday.
According to news agency PTI, Nitish Kumar was visibly unimpressed and asked a "company official" to ensure the entire work was completed by the end of the year. He sprang to his feet, saying: "Kahiye to hum aapka pair chhoo lete hain .”
In the video, the official can be seen scurrying back several steps, screaming, "Sir, please don't do this." Top government officials and political leaders also get on their feet to prevent the veteran leader from creating a scene.
The report added that the incident took place about a week after the chief minister had offered to touch the feet of a high ranking IAS officer, whom he urged to quickly settle land disputes by carrying out extensive surveys.
Meanwhile, Kumar also commented on the expansion of Marine Drive in Patna, saying, “It will be very helpful for people to travel to Patna after the construction is completed. It will save people's time and it will be convenient for someone coming from the Northern side...”
