The plan to buy a new plane and a helicopter has beenpending forquite alongtime, Nitish Kumar said.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday slammed BJP leaders for criticizing the state government's decision to purchase a new plane and a helicopter for the movement of VIPs and VVIPs.
Mr Kumar said the decision to purchase a new plane and helicopter is "in the interest of the state".
"The plan to purchase a new plane and a helicopter has been pending for quite a long time. The cabinet decision to approve the proposal to purchase a new plane and a helicopter is in the interest of the state. It is quite surprising that they (BJP leaders) are making such statements … one should ask them about the things which they were planning to purchase during the NDA regime in Bihar", said the CM.
He made the remark here in reply to questions from journalists who sought his views on senior state BJP leader and Bihar's former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi remarks that the plane which will be purchased by the state government will be used for Mr Kumar's dream of becoming the prime minister in 2024 "New jet plane, worth more than 250 crore, won't be used in Bihar as the state has few runways, instead, it will be used for Nitish Kumar's dream of becoming PM 2024, which anyway won't be fulfilled. This plane is being purchased for him to travel across the country", Mr Modi told reporters on Wednesday.
The Bihar cabinet had approved the proposal to purchase a new jet engine plane and a helicopter for the movement of VIPs and VVIPs in its meeting on Tuesday.
When asked about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo' yatra, the CM refused to comment by saying, "This is Congress party's internal affair".
Mr Kumar visited Takht Sri Harmandir Ji Patna Sahib Gurudwara in Patna city area and participated in religious programmes organized on the occasion of 356th Prakash Parv of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhs.
Soon after reaching the Gurudwara, Mr Kumar bowed his head before the Holy Guru Granth Sahib. The office-bearers of Prabandhak Committee welcomed the CM.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)