Days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second visit to poll-bound Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday raked up Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘DNA’ barb made against him at a recent rally, saying it was “an insult of people of Bihar” and asked him to withdraw it.
In an open letter to the PM, which was released on social media sites Facebook and Twitter, Kumar said the comment was “unbecoming” of the office he holds.
“Your words have been taken as an insult by a large section of the people of the state and beyond. Most of us also feel that coming from you, the comment is rather unbecoming of the office you hold,” he said.
The Bihar CM, whose running feud with Narendra Modi is no secret, referred to PM’s proposed Gaya visit on August 9 to drum up support for the Bharatiya Janata Party in state election and said he was writing this letter on behalf of those who felt hurt by the statement.
Kumar’s view was shared by Congress, a partner in Bihar.
Congress leader Renuka Chaudhry said in Delhi, “PM should not have said so. He should immediately withdraw the comment as he is no more a pracharak.”
Though no word has come from the PM so far, senior Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi reacted to the Janata Dal-United leader’s charge and clarified that the PM meant to refer to “Kumar’s political DNA.”
Sushil Modi also hit out at Kumar for “considering that he is Bihar and any protest against him meant that it was against the state.”
“Kumar, who is now in the company of Congress, probably is confused that he is Bihar like Congress leader D K Barua who had said ‘India is Indira and Indira is India’,” Sushil Modi, who was deputy chief minister during the NDA regime, told reporters.
“Nitish Kumar’s DNA is that of betraying friends and allies whereas the DNA of Bihar represents harmony and welcoming a guest with dignity.
“DNA of Bihar does not teach anybody to snatch a plate from in front of a guest after calling him for dinner,” he said referring to Kumar cancelling a dinner for BJP leaders in 2010 to express anger over advertisement in newspapers highlighting donation given by then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for rehabilitation of Kosi flood victims.
Kumar, in his letter to Modi, said, “I have no doubt that this gesture of yours (withdrawing the remark) would go a long way in assuaging the sentiments of people and would further enhance the respect people have for you.”
“Most of us feel these statements have gone beyond questioning my own descent. They have disrespected the lineage of our people and denigrated the great legacy of the state,” he said.
Kumar said this is not the first time such remarks have been made by BJP leaders. “Earlier, your colleague and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari had said casteism is in the DNA of Bihar. Interestingly, these are the same people who reposed their faith in you and contributed towards electing you to the highest office of the country with an overwhelming majority,” Kumar said.
He said he is son of Bihar and his DNA is similar to that of the people of Bihar.
“Modiji, you know that my father was a freedom fighter and my mother was a housewife. I grew up in a humble household in rural Bihar. In my 40 years of leadership, in my 40 years of public life, I have tried to work for the betterment of people following the ideals of Gandhi, Lohia and JP,” he said.
The PM while addressing the July 25 rally at Muzaffarpur had recalled Kumar’s invitation to him to the dinner and its cancellation later. Modi had said Kumar had not only disrespected him but also a ‘mahadalit’ like former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.
“There seems to be some problem in his (Kumar’s) DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy you respect even your political rivals,” he had told the rally.
Read the complete text of the letter below:
