A cabinet minister of Bihar on Friday made sarcastic comments about Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on his return to the NDA, drawing sharp reaction from the JD(U) which demanded action against the BJP leader.
Pramod Kumar, who holds the tourism portfolio, was asked for his reaction to RLSP chief and Union minister Upendra Kushwaha having described the BJP as "Bharatiya Jumla Party" at a rally in East Champaran district on Thursday.
The minister retorted "Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad used to describe the BJP in the same way. But where are they now?"
Asked whether the two parties came together for power, he said, "Nitish Kumar came back owing to a problem. Had he remained in the Mahagathbandhan, he would have had to visit jail to meet Lalu Prasad."
"In politics, one has to be very careful about ones choice of words. We would like our alliance partner, the BJP, to take note of the development and take appropriate action."
BJP state spokesman Sanjay Singh Tiger, however, clarified, "The ministers remarks are not being taken in the right spirit. He was not speaking about the chief minister per se. He was expressing anguish over the behavior of Upendra Kushwaha, who is our alliance partner."
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