Kushwaha slams Sushil Modi for criticising Tejashwi over

Rashtriya Lok Samata Party chief Upendra Kushwaha Thursday slammed Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi for accusing RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav of having splurged money on decorating the government bungalow he vacated recently.

Kushwaha, a former Union minister also questioned why was the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister now in possession of the same "7 star" premises if he felt aversion to the alleged opulence of his predecessor.

In a statement issued here, Kushwaha alleged that leaders of the BJP were raising "an irrelevant matter" to divert public attention from "real issues like health, education and agrarian distress".

He challenged the ruling NDA in the state to make public the expenditure that has been made on the official residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ever since he assumed power in 2005.

Yadav, who became the Deputy CM in November, 2015 lost the post in July 2017 after Kumar left the Grand Alliance and returned to the NDA.

He, however continued to occupy 5, Deshratna Marg Bungalow adjacent to the CMs residence 1, Anne Marg despite the state governments directions to vacate.

Yadav, who is now the leader of the opposition in the state assembly has been allotted the 1, Polo Road bungalow previously occupied by Modi, vacated last week the Deshratna Marg Bungalow after his petition challenging the state governments order was dismissed by the Supreme Court.

Sushil Modi, who entered the new premises two days ago, had taken along a posse of journalists before whom he alleged that public money had been splurged by the young RJD leader for equipping his official residence with "7 star facilities".

Kushwaha, who left the NDA in December last year and joined the Grand Alliance subsequently, also said that Yadav must be appreciated for his "honesty" as he "did not take away even a spoon while vacating the bungalow".

He also pointed out that having been born to Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, both former chief ministers of Bihar, Yadav "had always lived in air-conditioned houses and he has been honest enough to admit the same in public, unlike BJP leaders who get ACs installed for their cattle but pretend to be living simple lives.