Newly-appointed Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary landed in a controversy on Friday after refusing to wear a skull cap offered by a Muslim worker during a programme in the state capital.
The function was organised to greet Choudhary after he was elected chief minister. He took the oath of office on April 15 at a simple ceremony held at Lok Bhavan.
Since assuming office, Choudhary has been meeting people and party workers visiting to congratulate him.
During one such event on Friday, a worker from the Muslim community met him and congratulated him on becoming chief minister.
As the elderly worker tried to make him wear the skull cap, Choudhary stopped him and instead took the cap in his hand. He later handed it over to his security personnel.
The same worker later presented the chief minister with a shawl, which Choudhary accepted with a smile and wore. The incident took place in full public view.
Choudhary’s predecessor, Nitish Kumar, was often seen wearing a skull cap in the past, but his approach appeared to change after the 2020 Assembly elections.
He declined to wear the cap at several public events. In August 2025, during the centenary celebrations of the Madrasa Education Board at Bapu Auditorium in Patna, when his then cabinet colleague Jama Khan tried to persuade him to wear one, Nitish Kumar smiled and offered the cap back to Khan, though he accepted a shawl.
However, Nitish Kumar has been seen wearing a cap on Eid occasions. More recently, his son Nishant Kumar was spotted wearing one during an event in Patna.
Nishant joined Janata Dal (United) on March 8. He was expected to be part of the new NDA government led by Choudhary, but the chief minister has instead focused on strengthening the organisation.