PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday brought up Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s DNA barb against him, asking the latter to take back the comment.
In an open letter to the PM which was posted on Twitter, Nitish said a large section of the people, both from the state and outside, had taken it as an insult.
Trying to derive political capital out of the issue by invoking “Bihari sub-nationalism”, the Bihar CM said, “Most of us feel that these statements, beyond questioning my own descent, have disrespected the lineage of our people and have denigrated the great legacy of the state.”
“Therefore, through this letter, I take the liberty to urge you to please consider taking back those words.”.
Nitish also said, “Most of us feel that your comment is rather unbecoming of the office that you hold”.
The release of the letter was planned ahead of the three upcoming political rallies of the Prime Minister in the run-up to the Bihar polls. JD(U) sources said that Nitish, with the help of his campaign strategist Prashant Kishore, wants to make it a big issue on social media so as to mobilise a large number of non-resident Biharis who could influence the public opinion at the local level.
Further, the JD(U) stalwart said that the comment was not a mere political comment ahead of the Assembly elections, but rather it was an insult to “Bihari smita” (Bihari self-respect). When asked if he expected a retraction or an apology from the Prime Minister, Nitish merely said, “I will leave it to the judgment of the people.”
Meanwhile,countering Nitish’s open letter, NDA leaders too posted an open letter saying, “The remarks of the Prime Minister pertained to (Nitish) Kumar’s (and not that of Bihar’s) political DNA (and not your or Bihar’s DNA as he has mischievously misinterpreted). Nitish Kumar, before writing to the Prime Minister, please apologise to the people of Bihar for shamelessly distorting the words of the Prime Minister for petty political gains and humiliating Bihar in the process.”
NDA Joins the Issue with Bihar CM
New Delhi: The Bihar elections have sparked a letter war. After Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to take back his words about questioning his DNA, the NDA leaders responded with an open letter targeting the JD(U) leader. “Bihar is not Nitish and Nitish is not Bihar,” NDA leaders Ram Vilas Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Upendra Kushwaha Sushil Modi and C P Thakur said in the letter. Modi will be in the state on Sunday to address another rally, where he is likely to respond to Nitish’s latest letter. It was during Modi’s last rally in Muzaffarpur on July 25 where the PM took a dig at Nitish by questioning his DNA. The letter asserted that Modi’s remark was on Nitish’s political DNA and not on the DNA of Bihar.