Patna: BJP leaders skip Dussehra event attended by CM Nitish Kumar

Senior BJP leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and others gave a miss to Dusshera celebrations at Patna's iconic Gandhi Maidan, where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was the chief guest.

The chair designated for the deputy chief minister stayed empty during the celebrations, fuelling different speculations in the state's political circles about the alliance partners.

Other than Deputy Chief Minister Modi, the event witnessed the absence of the local BJP MLA, BJP ministers and other eminent BJP leaders.

The official release from the state government said that assembly speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, senior bureaucrats, Patna District Magistrate and other officials were present during the celebrations at the Gandhi maidan.

JDU leader Ajay Alok also took to Twitter questioning BJP leaders absence from the event.

"What happened @BJP4Bihar? Nobody came to Gandhi Maidan for 'Ravana Vadh'? Do you not have to kill Ravana?", he wrote on the microblogging site.

The BJP leaders giving a miss to this key Dussehra event comes days after a war of words erupted between BJP and JDU leaders following the flood situation in Patna.

Earlier this month, Giriraj Singh had said that the state administration is responsible for the "mismanagement" of the flood situation in the capital city and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar "should take responsibility for it".

This led to JDU seeking clarification from the BJP on the same.

Speaking to ANI, JDU General Secretary and National Spokesperson Pavan Verma said, "Whether Giriraj Singh's periodic rants against Nitish Kumar and the NDA government are emanating from the frustration of the individual or he is merely voicing the opinion of the mainstream BJP, must be clarified by the BJP."

Several areas of the city faced one of the worst water-logging in many years owing to incessant rainfall in the region. Over 73 people have lost their lives after heavy rains in Bihar.