Nitish Kumar denies calling Ishrat Jahan 'daughter of Bihar'

He said he will initiate legal action against the media for putting words in his mouth to defame him

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today denied describing Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in an encounter in Gujarat, as a "daughter of Bihar" and threatened to sue the media for "putting words into his mouth."

"Show me any piece of evidence that I described Ishrat Jahan as daughter of Bihar?" Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of the 'Janata Ke Darbar Mein Mukhya Mantri' programme.

"I have been perusing through records and news clippings to ascertain if I ever used this (describing Ishrat Jahan as a daughter of Bihar). After doing necessary ground work, I will initiate legal action against the media, electronic as well print, for putting words in my mouth to this effect," he said.

"I am very guarded in using words and making comments on anything, and will not tolerate this of putting words in my mouth to defame me," the Bihar Chief Minister said.

In the wake of David Coleman Headley testifying Ishrat Jahan as a terrorist, the BJP had dug Kumar's reported old comment describing Jahan, born in Bihar, as a "daughter of Bihar" to hit out at him.

The BJP leaders have on several occasions used the narration to accuse Kumar of appeasing a particular community as part of vote bank politics.