Nitish hits at NDA leaders on ‘DNA’ barb

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today raked up the issue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘DNA’ barb against him and hit out at NDA leaders for jumping in favour of the PM and making statements on the his behalf.

“I had made a request to the Prime Minister to take back DNA comments as it does not suit a man holding high constitutional post of Prime Minister making such a comment,” Kumar said, addressing a function to lay foundation stone for installation of a statue of former Congress Chief Minister Satyendra Narayan Sinha.

“Had he not been sitting on PM post I would not have taken notice of the comment. But, since many people of Bihar feel hurt by his DNA comment against me, I thought it right to urge Modi to withdraw it,” Kumar said.

Launching a scathing attack on NDA leaders for rallying around PM and making statements on his behalf, Kumar said, “I had made a request to the PM and not to a BJP or NDA leader.”

Kumar reiterated he is son of a freedom fighter who taught him good ‘sanskar’ (culture) and inculcated in him high values of tolerance, communal harmony and fight injustice.

“In my childhood I saw my father not allowing any visitor to leave home without offering food. I have grown up with such values,” he said.

“But, since their (NDA leaders) forefathers had nothing to do with the freedom movement, how can they have such high social values?” Kumar said in a hard-hitting reaction.

“Till yesterday when I was with them they used to say that I am a PM material, but the day I severed ties with BJP they see only faults in me,” the CM said in an apparent dig at senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi and others.