Pranab Mukherjee greets people from his Ambassador car on Wednesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

President Pranab Mukherjee could not keep his promise to chief minister Nitish Kumar on making Bihar his first destination after becoming the country’s President. But that didn’t stop the chief minister from extending a warm welcome to the man he supported in the presidential election going against the choice of his ally — the BJP.

From the time Pranab landed at the airport in an Indian Air Force plane at 12.30pm, Bihar’s leaders, and its people, went out of their way in making the President feel at home. From Rajinder Chowk to SK Memorial Hall, hundreds of residents lined up the streets to catch a glimpse of the President.

The bonhomie stretched to the power address of 1 Aney Marg where Nitish received Pranab with all humility and hosted a simple, but homely, vegetarian fare in the spacious dining hall.

The lunch was a mix of Bihari and Bengali delicacies. Keeping in consideration the Bengalis’ weakness for luchi (puri made with flour), Nitish had specifically ordered puri from Bihiya — a large luchi-like preparation that has been popular in Bhojpur district for centuries. On the table were baigan bhaja, adauri, tilauri besides other delicacies. (See chart)

Sources, a part of the private lunch that had only 11 others apart from the President, revealed that Nitish spoke to Pranab like he would to a close family man or brother. “Sir, I have a very special place for you in my heart. I have high regards for you,” Nitish was heard whispering to Pranab.

An otherwise reserved Pranab too kept smiling all through the meal.

“Please do not force me. I am a very frugal eater. Unlike you, I am an old man now,” the 76-year-old Pranab was heard telling Nitish, who was seen cajoling the first citizen to have more tilauri and karhi-bari. Nitish personally served his honoured guest.

According to the earlier arrangements, the President was scheduled to stay at 1 Aney Marg only for half-an-hour and fly off to Darbhanga after lunch. But the lunch laced with personal touch and warmth lasted exactly for an hour.

The sources said Pranab entered 1 Aney Marg at 2.35pm and stayed there till 3.35pm, mostly talking to Nitish, sometimes in his ear and sometimes sotto voce.

A senior aide of Nitish quipped that the President would not get this sort of reception even at a Congress-ruled state. “Nitish made feel Pranabda very much at home,” the aide said.

After all, Nitish had broken the rank with the NDA to support Pranab.