Patna: Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Monday sprung to the defence of Nitish Kumar and denied the charge by RLSP president Upendra Kushwaha that he was called "neech" (lowly person) by the chief minister.
"Nitish Kumar never used the word NEECH against any leader in his interaction with the media. I was present at the programme. Still some people are trying to become martyr, but will not succeed," he tweeted.
The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was referring to a programme held here by a private news channel on November 4. At the function, in response to a query about seat-sharing among NDA allies in the state and Kushwaha's reservations about it, Kumar had said: "Do not lower the level of discourse so much."
Kushwaha had construed this as him having been called a "lowly person" by Kumar.
Sushil’s Modi’s defence of Kumar came just hours after Kushwaha met opposition leader Sharad Yadav in Delhi, signaling that he was exploring his options after a seat-sharing deal for the 2019 national polls left him feeling short-changed.
He has accused Nitish Kumar of trying to poach his two legislators in Bihar assembly. "Nitish Kumar has come down to destroying Upendra Kushwaha and his Party but he cannot cause any damage to me. He is a part of the NDA and so are we, he should not do such things," he told news agency ANI.
Reacting to Modi's tweet, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) spokesperson Madhaw Anand alleged that the deputy chief minister was playing the role of a counsel "who did not charge a fee".
"Honourable Deputy Chief Minister, do not think the people of Bihar are so naive that they are incapable of comprehending the hidden meaning of a statement. You are requested, with folded hands, to focus on solving problems of the people of Bihar instead of becoming a counsel who does not charge a fee," Anand posted on Twitter.
Another NDA ally, the Lok Janshakti Party, also asserted that Nitish Kumar cannot make any inappropriate remark against anyone.
"I do not think Nitish Kumar can make any inappropriate remark against anybody. Moreover, Kushwaha must not go public with every grievance that he has with other NDA partners. He should look at Kumar's JDU. It has not spoken a word on his allegations," LJP leader Chirag Paswan told reporters.
Kushwaha on Sunday met Chirag's father and LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan in a bid to solicit the latter's support on the issues of seat-sharing and Kumar's alleged remark.
Kushwaha has reportedly been peeved after the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) decided to contest an equal number of seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Bihar.
The state sends 40 members to the Parliament and after the BJP-JDU deal, there is speculation that this would mean fewer seats for other allies like the RLSP and the LJP.
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