Giriraj Singh Fires Fresh Attack At Nitish Kumar, Party Hits Back

Twitter war erupted between Union minister Giriraj Singh and the ruling JD(U) on Sunday, as the firebrand BJP leader continued with his barbs at the state government.

Giriraj Singh, who has been repeatedly criticising the Bihar government for its "inept" handling of water-logging in several parts of Patna following heavy rainfall, sought the forgiveness of 'Sanatani' (devout) Hindus for the adverse impact of the "man-made" disaster on Durga Puja festivities.

"The Durga Puja festivities have commenced from today. On behalf of the NDA, I seek an apology from 'Sanatanis' living in those areas where puja, pandal and mela could not be organised because of floods," Mr Singh tweeted.

JD(U) spokesman Sanjay Singh shot back with a flurry of tweets, saying Giriraj Singh should better apologise to the people of Bihar for having done "nothing" for them in the capacity of a Union minister. "You are known for nothing except stoking controversies by your utterances."

In another tweet, the JD(U) spokesman said, "Mr Giriraj, as the Union minister for animal husbandry, your concern for animals must be greater than for humans... At least you should have cared for the well-being of animals. When will you realise what are your responsibilities?"

Sanjay Jha, a national general secretary of the JD(U), who is also the state minister for water resources department, came out with his riposte without mentioning by name Giriraj Singh, whose frequent attacks on the Nitish Kumar government has left the party fuming.

Sharing a quote by Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood "When you are young, you are reckless, then you get conservative, then you get reckless again" - on his Twitter handle, Mr Jha added, "Don''t know why, but some senior leaders' remarks on Bihar floods compel me to trace merit in the above quote! Please cooperate, don't cause cacophony."

In another tweet in Hindi, he said that in the name of championing of 'Sanatan' Dharma and Hindu society, it would have been better had people chosen not to make "snide" remarks on the flooded Ganga ghats but present Bihar's case before the government at the Centre, so that the state could get its share of the river's water.

"Disrupted flow of water is the primary reason for the flood," Mr Jha said.

Mr Jha had recently blamed the floods in districts situated on either side of the Ganges on the Farakka Barrage, located downstream in West Bengal, and urged the Centre to get it "dismantled" in the interest of Bihar.

He had also taken shots at Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is the Patna Sahib MP, for his claim that "all 119 gates of the Farakka Barrage have been opened to alleviate the situation in Bihar".

"As far as I know, the barrage has only 109 gates. Wonder when the remaining ones were constructed," Mr Jha one of the closest aides of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar - had said.