Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has lost his cool in the face of persistent queries from a journalist about the inundation of Patna due to heavy rain and shot back asking whether there was similar outrage when Mumbai suffered a deluge and floods disrupted normal life in the USA.
The incident took place on late Tuesday night when Kumar was wading through knee-deep water to survey an inundated area of the city.
Apparently aggrieved at the incident, Kumar on Wednesday said, "Do you have any illusion that your harsh language is of any consequence to me? It is not. I am someone who has been devoted to serving the people. I do not care about what you say about me."
While Kumar was visibly irritated, the interjection was resented by the local scribes who quarrelled with the visiting one. They were heard shouting: "Have you come here to gain prominence for yourself? This is not your Delhi studio. We are based in Bihar and please let us have the chief minister's soundbite."
When the reporter continued to ask questions on top of her voice on what his government did to change things after having ruled the state for close to 15 years, Kumar snapped, "I would like to know whether water-logging in Patna has been the biggest problem. How much concern was shown when Mumbai and America were water-logged? You people have failed to even contribute towards raising public awareness, Kumar said turning away amid protestations by the scribe who shouted, "Raising public awareness is what we are trying to do. Please answer the questions."
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