May Modi become ‘mukhya mantri’ again: Nitish Kumar’s faux pas in Bihar rally

PTI, May 27, 2024, 8:14 AM IST

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar (L) with Ravi Shankar Prasad (Credit: PTI)

Patna: JD (U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday wished another term as “chief minister” for Narendra Modi, who had ruled Gujarat prior to becoming the prime minister.

The Bihar chief minister, who has of late been making news for goof-ups, made the faux pas at an election rally on the outskirts of Patna.

“It is my wish that Narendra Modi becomes a chief minister again (phir se mukhya mantri banein),” said Kumar, causing those sharing the dais, including local BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, to squirm in their chairs.

Kumar’s confidant Sanjay Kumar Jha, a Rajya Sabha MP and JD (U) national general secretary, was seen getting up and pointing out to his boss that the word was ‘pradhan mantri’ or prime minister.

“Of course, he is the prime minister,” snapped the septuagenarian, clearly unmindful of his slip of tongue.

In his speech, the JD (U) chief also reiterated that he has realigned with BJP for good and recalled two short-lived alliances with RJD, saying both lasted for “about a month or a month-and-a-half (ek dedh mahine ke liye)”.

A section of the crowds stood sniggering, recalling similar goof ups from the leader in the recent past when he ended up hoping for “more than four thousand (char hazar se zyada) seats for the NDA”.

Several media outfits shared the video clip of Kumar’s latest goof-up, some recalling the once famous rivalry between the Bihar CM and his the then Gujarat counterpart, and, wondering whether it was a Freudian slip.