Nitish refuses to wear skull cap in mosque, triggers row

AHEAD of the Bihar assembly election, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday sought to reach out to Muslims by participating in a Madarasa teachers' programme, but instead courted controversy after he refused to wear a cap offered to him at the function.

- RAMASHANKAR @ Patna

When Minority Welfare Minister Zama Khan approached Kumar to place the cap on his head, the chief minister took the cap from him and placed it on his head instead. Videos of the scene went viral on social media. Nitish Kumar, who is conscious about his secular image, has ruled the state for 20 years in alliance with the BJP, barring on two occasions when he formed governments with the RJD and its allies.