BJP is trying to communalise the issue, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said.
Patna:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has joined issue over the beef row, attacking the BJP for its aggressive campaign against ally Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad. Mr Prasad had drawn BJP fire in the poll-bound state after commenting that some Hindus eat beef and the party was communalising the issue.
In a tweet early this morning, Mr Kumar said:
Early this morning, Mr Prasad was the subject of another round of attack - this time from controversial BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh, who promised to reverse the Chief Minister's campaign to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments on his political DNA. Mr Kumar has demanded that PM Modi retract his statement.
Demanding that Mr Prasad also take back his words, Mr Singh said, "India is the only country that calls the cow a mother. You (Lalu Prasad) are from the same community and yet what has happened to you? (Till you take back you words) I will travel to villages and tell gau palaks that Laluji is calling Hindus beef eaters for votes."
The five-phase assembly elections in Bihar begins next week and Mr Prasad's comments made on Saturday, as he was reacting to the events in Dadri -- where a man was lynched last week on suspicion of storing and eating beef - has provoked a strong response from the BJP.
"Don't Hindus eat beef too? It is the poor who are forced to eat beef. People eat (beef) outside the country too. What difference does it make?" he had said. "Anyway one should not eat beef as it leads to diseases," he had added.
Union minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh joined issue with him the same day. On Monday, former deputy chief minister Sushil Modi said, "People like Lalu can even eat beef for votes."
In a tweet early this morning, Mr Kumar said:
BJP in panic-without neta, niti & niyat in Bihar & facing defeat they're brazenly attempting to communalize & mask it with Modi's rhetorics
- Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) October 6, 2015Early this morning, Mr Prasad was the subject of another round of attack - this time from controversial BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh, who promised to reverse the Chief Minister's campaign to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments on his political DNA. Mr Kumar has demanded that PM Modi retract his statement.
Demanding that Mr Prasad also take back his words, Mr Singh said, "India is the only country that calls the cow a mother. You (Lalu Prasad) are from the same community and yet what has happened to you? (Till you take back you words) I will travel to villages and tell gau palaks that Laluji is calling Hindus beef eaters for votes."
The five-phase assembly elections in Bihar begins next week and Mr Prasad's comments made on Saturday, as he was reacting to the events in Dadri -- where a man was lynched last week on suspicion of storing and eating beef - has provoked a strong response from the BJP.
"Don't Hindus eat beef too? It is the poor who are forced to eat beef. People eat (beef) outside the country too. What difference does it make?" he had said. "Anyway one should not eat beef as it leads to diseases," he had added.
Union minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh joined issue with him the same day. On Monday, former deputy chief minister Sushil Modi said, "People like Lalu can even eat beef for votes."
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