Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was once again seen bowing to touch Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s feet during an event in Darbhanga on Wednesday. As Bihar CM approached the Prime Minister on stage, he bent down to touch Modi’s feet. However, PM Modi immediately stopped him, hugged him and made him sit next to him. The moment, captured on video, quickly went viral on social media.
The exchange took place during Modi’s visit to lay the foundation stone for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Darbhanga and inaugurate projects worth over Rs 12,000 crore in the state.
While addressing the crowd later, PM Modi praised Kumar for his role in improving governance in Bihar, a state that had once struggled under what he described as “jungle raj.” Modi referred to Kumar as “lokpriya mukhyamantri” (popular chief minister), highlighting his contributions to Bihar’s development.
This is not the first time Kumar has shown such deference to the Prime Minister. In June this year, a similar gesture was observed in the Central Hall of Parliament, and in April, Kumar was seen touching Modi's feet at a Lok Sabha election rally in Nawada, Bihar.
During his speech, Modi also took a veiled swipe at the Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance, without naming them directly. He criticized previous state governments for making “false promises” and emphasized the progress made under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
The Prime Minister also highlighted his government’s efforts to improve healthcare across India, noting that the establishment of AIIMS Darbhanga would help residents of Bihar, West Bengal, and even Nepal access quality medical services. Modi pointed out his government's commitment to increasing the number of doctors and expanding medical education.
In addition, he spoke about promoting Bihar's cultural heritage, citing the government’s recognition of Pali as a classical language. He also discussed initiatives to boost local industries, such as the export of freshwater fish and foxnuts (makhana) from the Mithila region.
PM Modi also acknowledged the late Kameshwar Singh, the former ruler of Darbhanga, and paid tribute to folk singer Sharda Sinha, who passed away last week.
The event was attended by Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Union Ministers Chirag Paswan and Nityanand Rai, and Bihar Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.