Nitish Kumar places flowerpot on bureaucrat's head at Patna event, RJD questions his 'mental state'
Patna, May 26 (PTI): Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday placed a flowerpot on the head of a senior IAS officer who gifted it to him during a programme, prompting the opposition RJD to raise questions about his "mental state".
The incident happened at the LN Mishra Institute in Patna, where the CM laid foundation stones for projects worth around Rs 10 crore and handed over appointment letters to 20 newly-recruited faculty members.
Additional Chief Secretary (Education) S Siddharth gifted a flowerpot to Kumar, who placed it on the head of the bureaucrat soon after receiving it, leaving those present there bemused.
Siddharth promptly removed it and walked away as onlookers smiled. A clip of the entire episode went viral on social media, adding to the CM's list of unusual public moments.
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary said the incident was shocking and shameful.
"His activities are bringing shame to the state. This shows that his mind is not under his control. He is being controlled by a group of bureaucrats. He is the weakest CM Bihar has ever had," he claimed.
In March, Kumar abruptly left the stage ahead of the national anthem during the inauguration of the Sepak Takraw World Cup in Patna.
In November last year, he made an attempt to touch Prime Minister Narendra Modi's feet at a public event in Darbhanga.
बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री श्री नीतीश कुमार की मानसिक स्थिति!
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) May 26, 2025
सरकारी कार्यक्रम में एक IAS अधिकारी CM का स्वागत कर रहे है तो CM सभी प्रोटोकॉल और मान-मर्यादा को ताक पर रखकर अधिकारी के सिर पर ही गमला रख दे रहे है। प्रदेश के मुख्यमंत्री की यह दयनीय स्थिति प्रदेश को रसातल में लेकर जा रही… pic.twitter.com/PpxWX93B7f
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link now fully operational
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link was opened to vehicular traffic on Saturday noon after a delay caused by the dismantling of inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work, a day after the Pune section became operational.
The 13.3 km-long "missing link", which bypasses a section of the Bhor Ghat stretch of the expressway and cuts travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 25 to 30 minutes, was inaugurated a day earlier by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
The Pune-bound carriageway of the corridor was opened to traffic immediately; however, the Mumbai-bound section remained closed to traffic for several hours after the inauguration.
An official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation told PTI on Saturday that the opening of the Mumbai-bound carriageway was delayed mainly due to the dismantling of the inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work.
The removal of the stage and other decorations was completed in the morning. The work to load and transport the material slightly delayed the opening of the carriageway.
Vehicular movement on the carriageway began after all the remaining material was cleared and road cleaning was completed, the official added.
The expressway control room said that despite significant vehicular movement, the access-controlled highway has not witnessed any major traffic snarls since Friday evening, after the Pune-bound carriageway of the missing link was opened to traffic.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli (in Raigad) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ghat section.
Developed by the MSRDC and dubbed an "engineering marvel", the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep, accident-prone ghat section, where frequent traffic snarls are reported during weekends and on public holidays.
