Nitish launches "Shabd Wapsi" campaign against Modi's DNA barb

Escalating his confrontation with Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today announced the launch of "Shabd Wapsi" campaign, demanding that the Prime Minister take back his 'DNA' remark and signalling the issue will be a key plank in the assembly polls.
Taking their antagonism a step further, Kumar said 50 lakh people will participate in a signature campaign and also send their DNA samples to the Prime Minister for tests.
"In spite of our repeated pleas Modiji hasn't retracted his derogatory remarks on our DNA, we're going to launch ????????? /TakeBackYourWords," Kumar tweeted.
"Modiji's DNA remark is an insult to Bihar and its people. In democracy, people are supreme. Now the matter will be decided in people's court," he said on Twitter, making it clear that the issue will not be put to rest anytime soon and will be flagged by him in the run up to the elections likely in October-November.

The Chief Minister said the matter will be taken to "every nook and corner" and his party JD(U) will also organise 4-5 "Swabhiman rallies" to highlight the issue.
"Modiji's stubbornness in not taking back his DNA remark and then calling Bihar a BIMARU state and its people unfortunate is distressing," he said in another tweet.

Kumar had joined issue with the Prime Minister yesterday after the latter vowed to remove Bihar's BIMARU (laggard) tag at an NDA rally in Gaya.
"Bihar's growth rate, performance on social indices like education and health care present a picture which does not show it is a laggard state," Kumar had said, hitting back at Modi.

He had recently written an 'open letter' to Modi demanding that he take back his DNA remark made at a rally in Bihar's Muzaffarpur town last month.
"Your comments on my DNA at a rally recently has left me and a large section of society deeply hurt. Not just people of Bihar, but even those living outside the state have felt insulted by the choice of your words," he had said.
Despite clarifications by several BJP leaders that Modi had spoken about Kumar "political DNA", the Chief Minister and his ally RJD boss Lalu Prasad have linked it to "Bihari pride", which they insist has been hurt.