It was wrong not to let me go to Nepal: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday criticised the central government for not letting him visit quake-ravaged Nepal.

Nitish Kumar wanted to visit Nepal's Janakpur district, which borders Bihar.

"It was wrong not to grant me permission to visit Nepal to meet the earthquake victims," he told the media, two days after he was not granted approval by the central government.

He said the central government should, in fact, have encouraged him to visit Nepal, where a powerful earthquake on April 25 has killed thousands and caused widespread destrction.

"My visit to Nepal could have increased the glory and prestige of India," Nitish Kumar said, adding that the people of Bihar shared an emotional relationship with the Himalayan country.

Janata Dal-United national secretary general K.C. Tyagi also criticised the Narendra Modi government over the issue.

He said the entire population of Janakpur was of Bihari origin.

Tyagi said that even Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav, a Madhesi, had his roots in Bihar. Nepal itself had no objection to Nitish Kumar's visit, he added.