Patna : Chaos erupted in the Assembly on Friday after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar allegedly stopped the national anthem during the inauguration of the Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025 at Patliputra Sports Complex. The opposition, led by Tejashwi Yadav, staged protests both inside and outside the Assembly, demanding Nitish Kumar’s resignation over what they called an “insult to the national anthem.”
National Anthem Row Sparks Uproar
The controversy began when Nitish Kumar, before the anthem could commence, signalled from the stage to halt it, suggesting that he would take a round of the stadium before resuming the ceremony. Minister Vijay Chaudhary, acting on Nitish’s cue, stopped the anthem. Upon returning to the stage after his brief tour, the anthem was played again, but CM Nitish was seen waving to the audience and greeting journalists, ignoring Principal Secretary Deepak Kumar’s attempts to bring him to attention.
This incident led to a storm of protests. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav called it a “black day for Bihar,” accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of remaining silent despite his “favourite CM” allegedly insulting the national anthem. “What will the Prime Minister say now? The country was insulted, but the PM hasn’t even tweeted,” Tejashwi remarked, adding that Nitish Kumar should step down immediately.
Assembly Proceedings Disrupted, Adjourned in Minutes
As the Assembly proceedings commenced, the opposition stormed into the well of the House, shouting slogans and displaying banners. Despite repeated appeals from the Speaker to maintain order, the uproar escalated, with opposition MLAs attempting to overturn the reporting table. The pandemonium forced the Speaker to adjourn the House within just eight minutes, resuming only after 2 pm.
Meanwhile, in the Legislative Council, similar chaos unfolded. Rabri Devi, former Chief Minister and RJD leader, had her microphone turned off as she demanded that Nitish Kumar relinquish his post. “If Nitish Kumar is mentally unstable, he should let his son take over. If his son cannot become CM, he should hand over power to someone else,” she said amid loud sloganeering. The Council’s Chairman subsequently adjourned proceedings until the afternoon.
BJP Defends Nitish, Calls Protests Politically Motivated
In response to the uproar, BJP MLA Pawan Jaiswal dismissed allegations of insulting the national anthem, claiming that the CM was merely “distracted” and had momentarily forgotten the sequence of events. “There was no insult. He was probably lost in thought. The opposition is overreacting,” he said.
Minister Ashok Chaudhary also came to Nitish Kumar’s defence, stating, “There is no greater patriot than Nitish Kumar. He introduced Bihar Diwas to honour the state’s heritage, and now such trivial incidents are being blown out of proportion.”
Legal Implications of Insulting the National Anthem
Under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, any deliberate insult to the national anthem can attract imprisonment of up to three years. While Nitish Kumar’s actions may not amount to a direct violation of the law, the political fallout has been severe, with the opposition seizing the opportunity to corner the ruling coalition.
Lalu Prasad and Others Weigh In
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the incident, writing, “India cannot tolerate such disrespect to the national anthem. People of Bihar, is there anything left now?” MLC Sunil Kumar Singh echoed similar sentiments on Facebook, urging the people of Bihar to strongly oppose such behaviour.
Political Fallout and Next Steps
As tensions continue to rise, the opposition has vowed to keep the pressure on Nitish Kumar. With Assembly proceedings resuming after lunch to discuss the 2025-26 budget, the controversy is expected to dominate the political discourse in the coming days. Meanwhile, BJP leaders have accused the opposition of exploiting the situation for political mileage ahead of the upcoming elections.
