Kanhaiya Kumar thanks Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar personally intervened to allow Left leader Kanhaiya Kumar and the Congress's anti-Citizenship Amendment Act march, which was blocked by the West Champaran district administration, allegedly at the instance of a BJP member of parliament.

In a show of strength, the Janata Dal United chief, who has made his unease on the centre's National Population Register public, dialed the concerned district officers and "scolded" them for the move.

Kanhaiya Kumar and Congress MLA Shakeel Ahmed Khan on Thursday began their protest march from Bhitiharva in West Champaran.

After a while, they were stopped by the district administration, which said their permission had been cancelled. According to the former students' leader, the action was taken at the instance of local MP and Bihar BJP President Sanjay Jaiswal.

Kanhaiya Kumar, one of the most forceful critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, thanked Kumar for his gesture, and said it was a "slap on the face" of the BJP MP.