BJP today accused Nitish Kumar for equating his "supreme arrogance with the identity of Bihar" after the chief minister in an open letter charged Narendra Modi with insulting the state by taking a dig at his DNA, which he alleged was "unbecoming" of a Prime Minister.
The party also kept up its attack on Congress over the stalling of Parliament, saying the opposition party was sending a wrong message to the people and asked it to "introspect over and reconsider its belligerence" as they expect the legislature to pass pro-reform laws like GST.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took on Kumar and questioned what kind of Bihari identity he showed by declining a dinner invite to Modi and returning Rs 5 crore and other relief material he (Modi) as the then Gujarat chief minister in 2010 had sent to Bihar to help flood victims.
Kumar today took strong exception to Modi's 'DNA' remark made against him during a recent rally, saying it was deemed as "an insult by a large section of the people of the state and beyond" and asked him to withdraw it.
"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 in an open letter.
At a rally in Muzaffarpur on July 25, 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 DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy you respect even your political rivals," Modi had said at the rally.
Prasad said it was the height of Kumar's arrogance that he was linking the honour of Bihar with him.
"Nitish ji, do not equate your arrogance with the great identity of Bihar which is much greater, nobler, soberer and humbler (than yours)," he told reporters at a briefing.
