National Anthem Announced, Nitish Kumar Walks Off Stage At Sports Event

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, at a sports event in Patna on Thursday, left a trail of faux pas that may make him the Opposition target for days to come. His former deputy Tejashwi Yadav has questioned his mental stability and alleged that he has insulted the national anthem.

The Chief Minister, who was attending the inauguration of the Sepaktakraw World Cup in Patna's Pataliputra Sports Complex, started by walking off the dais when the national anthem was about to begin. He got off his seat as soon as the moderator announced it was time for the national anthem, leaving cabinet colleagues and officials perplexed.

As a officials scrambled to follow, he went down to meet the participants, waving and shaking hands. After the long day at the state legislature where both Houses witnessed his fits of anger, he was visibly jovial.