‘We should know the language,’ Bihar CM Nitish Kumar slams DMK leader for seeking translation of his speech

Chief Minister of Bihar and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar slammed Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader TR Baalu after he asked for a translation of Kumar’s speech, which was delivered in Hindi at a three-hour-long meeting of INDIA bloc leaders on Tuesday, December 19.

While Nitish Kumar was addressing the INDIA bloc leaders, DMK supremo M K Stalin and TR Baalu were also present at the meeting. TR Baalu was unable to understand what Kumar was saying in his speech. Hence, he signalled to the Rashtriya Janata Dal Rajya Sabha MP Manoj K. Jha, seated on the other side, if he could help him with the translation of Kumar’s speech.

After Manoj Jha requested Nitish Kumar’s permission, he got angry and said, "We call our country Hindustan, and Hindi is our national language. We should know the language." Post that, Kumar instructed Manoj Jha not to help with a translation of his speech.

Reportedly, Bihar CM also went on to talk about India's freedom struggle, urging people to come out of the colonial remnants. He further emphasised that the country had long ago liberated itself from the rule of the British empire. In addition, there were also reports that Nitish Kumar displayed dissatisfaction throughout the meeting amid speculation about the JD(U) chief and his party's role in the alliance. 

On Tuesday, the INDIA bloc parties got together for their fourth meeting in Delhi to discuss the matters related to seat-sharing and campaign strategies for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

Meanwhile, on the same day, posters calling to assign a significant role to the Bihar Chief Minister were seen in several parts of Patna while the JD(U) leader was away to attend the INDIA bloc meeting. Bihar CM hosted the first meeting with the opposition leaders in June in Patna.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, the two likely Prime Minister aspirants in the INDIA bloc, took everyone by surprise after they proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s name as the prime ministerial candidate, saying he could be India's "first Dalit prime minister."