Patna:
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in the state have requested Narendra Modi to contest the next Lok Sabha elections from Nalanda, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's home district.
Senior BJP leader CP Thakur said his party had launched a campaign against Mr Kumar from Nalanda, about 100 km, from state capital Patna, and hoped that Mr Modi would agree to be the Nalanda Lok Sabha candidate.
Nitish Kumar dumped the BJP last month, ending a 17-year alliance between his party, the Janata Dal United and the BJP, provoked by Mr Modi's elevation as the election campaign chief in his party.
For months before the formal split was announced, relations between the two partners had soured in Bihar, with the BJP bristling at the frequent jibes, barely veiled, made by Mr Kumar at Mr Modi, who he accuses of not doing enough to prevent the death of hundreds of Muslims during the 2002 Gujarat communal riots under his watch.
Since the split, the gloves have come off and the two parties exchange sharp words and accusations every day.
Reacting to Mr Thakur's statement today, the JD(U) said Mr Modi was welcome to contest from Bihar, but asked if this meant that he was not sure of winning from Gujarat.
"The JD(U) is not afraid of any BJP candidate, be it Modi or anyone else," said JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar.