Nitish attacks Modi, says progress only by binding people

In a veiled attack on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said that "efforts to create a certain atmosphere" in the country would not succeed and progress could be achieved only by "binding everyone".

"I am fully confident the effort being made today to create a certain atmosphere in the country, won't last long," Kumar said, after releasing a book on Socialist leader George Fernandes here today.

"The country is vast. There are all kinds of people. The country can progress only by taking everyone along... Not by leaving out someone but by binding everyone," Kumar, whose party JD(U) pulled out of the NDA following Modi's elevation as BJP's Election Campaign Committee chief, said.

"You are well aware of the condition of the country today. It is not hidden from you... But we should do our work with determination," Kumar said.

In an apparent reference to JD(U)'s parting ways with BJP, he said, "We took a decision based on principles... We felt that we should not compromise with principles and also felt that maybe we may have to compromise with principles... So we decided not to compromise on principles."

Kumar also asked followers and old associates of Fernandes to work unitedly to carry forward his legacy.

Lauding the contribution of Biharis to the society, the Chief Minister said, "Biharis are not a burden on the country but they lift the burden."

Meanwhile, senior JD(U) leader and member of the Bihar Legislative Council Devesh Thakur without naming MNS chief Raj Thackeray, said, "While our contribution to society is acknowledged, some people are pained because of this."

The book on Fernandes, the stormy petrel of the Socialist movement, has been written by Ranga Rachure and Jaidev Dole.