BJP, JD-U exchange barbs over Modi's 'rescue' act

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Monday took a dig at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's Uttarakhand "rescue mission", saying he could not do a similar act as he was not "Rambo".

The Bharatiya Janata Party, long-time ally of Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United (JD-U), hit back, saying being a "Rambo" was better than being a "dumbo".

News reports earlier had claimed Modi rescued 15,000 Gujaratis in a day from Uttarakhand, which was hit by devastating flash floods and landlides.

"Uttarakhand is not in Bihar. Neither am I Rambo to jump in and save people. Nor am I greedy for media bytes," Nitish Kumar said responding to questions from journalists Monday.

Reacting to the comment, BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said: "People who have failed, who do not have initiative, are using such derogatory words as Rambo. It is thousand times better to be a Rambo than being a dumbo."

Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United broke its alliance with the BJP last month after Modi was made the head of the saffron's party's poll campaign committee.