BJP faceless in Bihar, will have to fight even panchayat polls under Prime Minister: Nitish Kumar
Hajipur: Taking potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said the BJP which does not have any prominent leader in the state would even contest the panchayat polls under the former's leadership.
"The NDA do not have any leader in Bihar. That's why whenever they are asked they always say that they are fighting the polls under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It seems like Narendra Modi will become the Chief Minister of Bihar," Nitish said while addressing a rally.
"This is an assembly election and Prime Minister Modi is campaigning for it. I think the BJP leaders will even fight the next panchayat elections under the leadership of the Prime Minister," he added.
Questioning the Centre for holding him responsible for the escalating prices of pulse in the country, Nitish highlighted the price of the same in the BJP-ruled states.
Read: BJP releases video of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar visiting tantrik
"I heard two ministers from the Central Government holding me responsible for the rise in price of pulses. I inquired to find out if Bihar is the only producer of pulses in the country. Am I a wholesale dealer of dal? People would have believed if prices of pulses would have risen in the state but the fact is prices of pulses are even higher in other states," Nitish said.
"Dal price has crossed over Rs. 200 per kg. The prices of dal have increased more in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh as compared to Bihar," he added.
The senior Janata Dal (United) leader also hit back at Prime Minister Modi over his 'tantrik' jibe directed at him.
"I heard him talking about irrelevant things in Bihar today like 'tantrik'. Do you think it has any relevance? Sometimes he says there is problem in my DNA. If he will question my integrity then definitely I will reply back," he said.
Nitish further criticised Prime Minister Modi for his frequent foreign trips, saying the latter does not get time to do anything else because of the same. "After winning the Lok Sabha elections, he does not have any time to do any work. He either goes abroad or for election campaigns," he said.
Continuing his tirade against the Bihar Chief Minister, Prime Minister Modi had earlier said the poll-bound state needs 'democracy' and not a 'tantrik' for its salvation.
"We all know what the election results are going to be on November 8. Everyone knows what will happen. But does 'tantrik' Nitish have any idea what will he do once he loses? This atmosphere that I am seeing right now is ripe and an indication towards the defeat of Lalu, Nitish and Sonia ji. The wrongdoers will be punished," he said while addressing an election rally in Nalanda.
The Bihar chief minister was in the eye of storm recently after a video was uploaded on YouTube by BJP leader Giriraj Singh showing Nitish Kumar cosying up to a tantrik and hugging him.
"We said 'Nitish zindabad' and 'Lalu murdabad' and you joined hands with the same Lalu," the tantrik is heard saying in the video.
