Nitish Kumar is 'paintrebaaz' chief minister: Union minister

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday described Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as 'paintrebaaz' (crafty) for his politics of opportunism.

"If there is a new example of opportunistic politics and 'paintrebaazi', it is Nitish Kumar," said Pradhan, who is also a senior BJP leader, at a function of a TV news channel here.

His statement is likely to provide an opportunity at the hands of the grand alliance of JD-U, RJD and Congress to target the BJP-led NDA on the same lines as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's DNA barb against Nitish Kumar.

Pradhan accused Nitish Kumar of being arrogant, a Modi-hater and also breaking JD-U's 17-year-old alliance with the BJP.

"Nitish Kumar ended the alliance with the BJP. He cancelled a dinner meet after inviting BJP leaders and is now talking about self-respect and prestige," he said.