Patna: Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday mocked JD(U) leaders for counting Nitish Kumar in the race for Prime Minister’s office in 2019, saying everybody cannot be an I K Gujral or a Madhu Koda.
"A small regional party like JD(U) which at best could have 15-20 MPs is daydreaming about its leader Nitish Kumar on the PM post," Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters in reply to a question.
"Everybody cannot not be an I K Gujral or a Madhu Koda, who became PM and Chief Minister of Jharkhand respectively," he said emerging from his first 'Janata Darbar', where he listened to the people's complaints.
During its recent national executive at Delhi, Many JD(U) leaders had said Nitish Kumar would be a serious contender for the post of PM in 2019 parliamentary poll.
Sushil Modi, who was Kumar's deputy during the NDA rule in Bihar until the BJP-JD(U) alliance broke, hit hard at him describing him as "a highly intolerant person".
"Irked by comments of his ally Lalu Prasad on law and order recently, Nitish Kumar had set free spokesmen of his party on RJD," he said adding "Kumar cannot tolerate criticism...he is a highly intolerant person."
Modi said his party had decided not to speak against performance of the new government in Bihar till its "honeymoon period of 6 months" ended.
"But the fast deterioration of crime situation within two months forced us to break the silence," he added.
Modi alleged that Nitish Kumar government was protecting Awdesh Mandal as well Sarfaraz Alam.
"Today Sarfaraz Alam came with defence that he was not travelling in the Rajdhani Express in which complaint of misconduct against a Delhi couple has been lodged. How come the name of a passenger who is said to be travelling without a ticket found in the reservation chart?" he asked.
The BJP leader said besides these two incidents, many such events involving RJD and JD(U) MLAs came into light.
He referred to the incident in which Gopalpur MLA Neeraj Mandal allegedly threatened a police office for stopping his vehicle from jumping the queue, and the alleged threat by RJD MLA Saroj Yadav to a police officer.
Modi alleged that investors are keeping away from Bihar after hearing about the spate of killing and criminal acts of ruling party MLAs.
"The number of people going for night movie shows has come down drastically (due to the law and order situation)," he claimed.
Modi said the state has been lagging in acting against criminals ever since JD(U) parted ways with the NDA in Bihar in 2013.
"Over 10,000 people were punished through speedy trial in 2010 during NDA rule which came down to 6,000 in 2014 when JD(U) was alone in the government," he said.
Referring to RJD president Lalu Prasad's recent assertions against putting "lunj-punj" (inefficient) policemen at key position, Modi questioned shunting of efficient IPS officers like Vikash Vaibhav and Shivdeep Lande.
"More than a dozen Superintendents of Police in the districts currently have crossed 55 years of age and are not in a position to run after criminals," he said.
