If you love 'gai, nilgai' so much, keep them at your 'shakhas': Nitish to RSS, BJP

Kanpur: Amid the raging debate over so-called cow vigilantism, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the BJP and the RSS saying if they love "the gai (cow) and the nilgai so much they should keep them at their shakhas".

Mr Kumar, who was at Ghatampur village in Kanpur to attend a JD(U) meet, said RSS talks of protecting cow, and nilgai, which destroys farmers' crops.

"If the cow protectors have so much of sympathy towards 'gai and nilgai' then they should keep them at their shakhas. Don't let them roam in fields and trouble farmers," he advised.

"JD(U) workers should click pictures of the shoes of BJP workers and leaders and ask them 'ye kis chamde ka bana hai' (which leather is this made of). BJP and RSS are trying to vitiate the country's atmosphere. And that is why we want sangh-mukt country," he said.

Mr Kumar said his party would fight the Uttar Pradesh polls on the plank of prohibition and asked the Akhilesh Yadav government to ban liquour.

He said the Uttar Pradesh elections are "rehearsals" for his party and it wants to strengthen its base here.

"Our fight in UP is not with SP and BSP but with BJP. Our main target is 2019 Lok Sabha elections wherein we will fight with strength and face BJP," he said.

Mr Kumar also said social media is being misused these days to spread communal tension and there is a need to prevent such attempts.