Patna: At a time when Nitish Kumar is facing the heat for allegedly ‘disrespecting’ the national anthem, with questions being raised about his health, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor added to the Bihar chief minister’s discomfort on Sunday.
Kishor, an ex-psephologist who formed a political party last year, said he had learned about Nitish’s health issues during the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) protests a couple of months ago.
He won’t on to claim that Nitish won’t even be able to recall the names of ministers in his cabinet.
“Nitish Kumar is physically tired and mentally unfit. If you want evidence for this, just ask him to name the Ministers in his Council… Nitish Kumar should resign,” Kishor stated during a press conference in Samastipur.
“The first person to comment on Nitish Kumar’s health was his ally, Sushil Kumar Modi… Since then, many Bihar ministers have commented on his health. I never made a comment on it till January. But during the BPSC protests, I learned that Nitish Kumar’s mental condition has deteriorated so much that he has no clue what’s going on in the state,” Kishor said.
Slamming the central leadership of BJP, an ally of JD(U), Kishor went on to say, “The BJP deserves equal blame because it’s not possible that the Prime Minister or Home Minister are not aware that Nitish Kumar is mentally unfit.”
Nitish was recently seen smiling and waving at the public while the national anthem was being played.
Even RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, questioned the CM’s “physical and mental health”.
Nitish hasn’t yet responded to the ‘mentally ill’ charge, but NDA partner Jitan Ram Manjhi defended the former.
“There was nothing objectionable. There is nothing wrong with Nitish Kumar. Those who have entered politics recently should not teach Nitish Kumar how to respect the national anthem,” said Manjhi, who heads the Hindustani Awam Morcha (S).
“Nitish Kumar has been the chief minister of Bihar for 20 years. His tenure has been marked by good governance and his acumen has earned plaudits the world over. We, in the NDA, are looking forward to winning the assembly polls later this year under his leadership,” added Manjhi.