I never asked Narendra Modi not to campaign in Bihar, chief minister Nitish Kumar tells NDTV.
Nitish Kumar has said that it was the BJP, and not him, that cancelled a dinner in 2010, an incident referenced repeatedly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he has attacked the Bihar Chief Minister in election speeches.
"Sushil Modiji (senior BJP leader in Bihar) planned the dinner, and he cancelled it. I was just informed about it," Mr Kumar told NDTV in an exclusive interview. "I only got trapped in his
chakkar."
He also hinted at differences within the BJP over Mr Modi in the past, alleging that it was the BJP that kept him away from previous election campaigns in Bihar. As the BJP's partner for almost two decades, Mr Kumar was reported to have insisted that Mr Modi be kept out of campaigning in Bihar in the 2005 and 2010 assembly elections as well as the 2009 national election.
"I never asked him not to campaign in Bihar, it was their (BJP's) decision that Modi should not come to Bihar. It was totally their decision... after five-and-a-half years, these things not relevant... There is nothing personal about this... It's just that our paths are different now," said Mr Kumar, who is seeking to return as chief minister in the assembly elections being held now in Bihar in five phases.
With the BJP deciding not to project a chief ministerial candidate, the Bihar election is seen as a direct contest between PM Modi, who is leading his party's campaign, and Nitish Kumar - two leaders with a long and bitter history of differences.
At an election rally in the state a few weeks ago, PM Modi alleged that Nitish Kumar practices "political untouchability," for having refused to offer him dinner in 2010. "There seems to be some problem in his DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy, you give respect even to your political rivals," said the PM, setting the tone for a protracted battle of words with Nitish Kumar, who interpreted the comment as an "insult to the DNA of every Bihari."
Nitish Kumar had dismantled the alliance with the BJP in 2013, when it became clear that it would project Mr Modi for Prime Minister. Mr Modi led his party to a historic Lok Sabha win last May; the BJP and its allies posted a big win in Bihar too, subjecting Mr Kumar's Janata Dal (United) to a humiliating rout.
The BJP claims Nitish Kumar was punished for ending their longstanding alliance.
In this year's assembly election, Mr Kumar has joined hands with Lalu Prasad Yadav of the RJD and the Congress to take on the BJP.