Lalu, Nitish make snide remarks against each other

Drought in Bihar is due to Kumar eating biscuits on the day of solar eclipse, says Lalu

A day after Bihar government declared drought in 33 out of 38 districts, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who travelled in the same plane to Delhi today, made snide remarks against each other over drought condition.

Asked about the state government's decision to declare drought in 33 out of a total of 38 districts, Lalu Prasad told reporters at Patna Airport that the "sorry condition due to about 25 per cent shortfall of rains was because of curse of Kumar eating biscuits during solar eclipse."

On October 9, 2011 during the solar eclipse, Nitish Kumar had eaten biscuits at Taregana near Patna to dispel the myth that consuming food during an eclipse invites harm.

"The drought situation in majority of the districts is result of curse of nature due to Kumar eating biscuits on the day of solar eclipse," Prasad said taking a pot shot at his rival.

The RJD supremo said that JD(U) government's decision to declare drought in 33 districts has come too late when the damage has already been done.

Reacting to Prasad's comment, Kumar told reporters that even in this grim situation the RJD chief by talking out orthodoxy is interested only in making people laugh.

Asked that he and Prasad came together to the national capital, Kumar told reporters emerging from a meeting with Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram that "we did not come together but travelled in the same plane."

On RJD chief comments that eating biscuits had triggered drought situation in the state, he said, "It's astonishing that even in a grim situation like drought he (Prasad) by talking about orthodoxy is trying to make people laugh. This shows his seriousness on the issue.