Patna: India’s 77th Republic Day was marked by ceremonial grandeur at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on Monday, even as political attention in Bihar turned to the absence of the state’s leader of the opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, from flag-hoisting events linked to his party.
At the historic Gandhi Maidan, governor Arif Mohammad Khan unfurled the national flag, accompanied by the chief minister, Nitish Kumar, and deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Choudhary, alongside senior ministers and officials. The ceremony featured a parade by 21 contingents and tableaux from 12 government departments, underscoring the scale of the official celebrations.
Away from the main state function, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad took on a prominent role within his party’s observances. He hoisted the tricolour at the residence of former chief minister Rabri Devi as well as at Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s official residence in Patna, maintaining what party sources described as the RJD’s Republic Day tradition.
Tejashwi Yadav’s absence from both locations drew comment in political circles, particularly given his position as the opposition’s most visible face in the state. The RJD has not issued an official explanation for his non-appearance.
While the ruling alliance projected unity and presence at Gandhi Maidan, Lalu Prasad’s active participation in party events, set against Tejashwi Yadav’s absence, added a political subtext to the day’s Republic Day commemorations in Bihar.
