BJP, allies slam Nitish on 'DNA request'

The BJP and its allies on Wednesday criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider taking back his comments on the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader's DNA.

"What Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Muzaffarpur (on July 25) was in the context of democracy. Nitish Kumar should not equate his personal arrogance with identity of Bihar," union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference here.

He said that the people of Bihar were interested to know about the performance of the JD-U and Rashtriya Janata Dal during their respective rule but they were instead running away.

Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party president Ramvilas Paswan termed Kumar's letter an "election gimmick".

"Inviting someone over a dinner and cancelling it at the same time is not a reflection of the DNA of Bihar. People of Bihar will teach a lesson to Kumar in the coming assembly elections," Paswan told reporters outside parliament.

Paswan was referring to the 2010 incident when the Bihar chief minister cancelled a dinner for BJP leaders, including the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

Another union minister Upendra Kushwaha said Modi had not said anything wrong.

"It is the habit of Kumar to ditch people. He ditched George Fernandes, Jitanram Manjhi and many more," Kushwaha told IANS.

Nitish Kumar on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "please consider taking back your comments" on the Bihar chief minister's so-called DNA.

The JD-U leader raked up the DNA comment ahead of Modi's three proposed public meetings in Bihar this month.

In an open letter on Twitter, Nitish Kumar said Modi's July 25 remark questioning his DNA was seen as an "insult" by large sections of the people in Bihar and beyond.