Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal United leader Nitish Kumar
Patna:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today described his political rival and the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi as a "manufacturer of lies," and also said that terrorists had helped rescue Mr Modi's Patna rally last month from being discussed as a total flop.
Mr Kumar was offering a rebuttal of Mr Modi's allegation that he showed little concern after a series of bombs exploded in Patna just before the Gujarat Chief Minister's rally at Gandhi Maidan on October 27.
Mr Modi had last week assailed the Bihar Chief Minister for appearing "arrogant" after the explosions, which killed six people. Mr Modi said, without naming Mr Kumar, that "they were enjoying a large meal outside Patna and appeared happy."
Mr Kumar hit back saying, "The incidence of serial blasts at the rally in Patna was most condemnable... But the terrorists in a way helped the BJP. Had the blasts not happened, everybody would have talked about the thin attendance at the rally, where the BJP had claimed that it would pull record crowds."
Meenakshi Lekhi of the BJP swiftly retorted, "I can only say that there is a question mark over the mindset... the mental state of Nitish Kumar."
The BJP has condemned Mr Kumar for being deliberately casual about the security arrangements for Mr Modi's rally on October 27. Mr Kumar today accused the party of "following Hitler's advice," to repeat a lie many times to make it the truth.
He had his own set of accusations against Mr Modi, who visited the families of some of those who died in the Patna explosions. "How many families did he visit after the 2008 blasts in Gujarat?" he asked, referring to the terror attack in which nearly 50 people were people were killed and over 200 injured in Ahmedabad.
After Mr Kumar ended a 17-year alliance with the BJP earlier this year, both sides have traded industrial-strength insults with dogged determination. Mr Kumar said the break-up was prophylactic - he said he wasn't prepared to stick around while the BJP promoted Mr Modi to its prime ministerial candidate.
The BJP says Mr Kumar's branding of its leader as a polarizing politician who does not enjoy the confidence of Muslims is a public relations exercise aimed at Bihar's large Muslim population.
Mr Kumar was offering a rebuttal of Mr Modi's allegation that he showed little concern after a series of bombs exploded in Patna just before the Gujarat Chief Minister's rally at Gandhi Maidan on October 27.
Mr Modi had last week assailed the Bihar Chief Minister for appearing "arrogant" after the explosions, which killed six people. Mr Modi said, without naming Mr Kumar, that "they were enjoying a large meal outside Patna and appeared happy."
Mr Kumar hit back saying, "The incidence of serial blasts at the rally in Patna was most condemnable... But the terrorists in a way helped the BJP. Had the blasts not happened, everybody would have talked about the thin attendance at the rally, where the BJP had claimed that it would pull record crowds."
Meenakshi Lekhi of the BJP swiftly retorted, "I can only say that there is a question mark over the mindset... the mental state of Nitish Kumar."
The BJP has condemned Mr Kumar for being deliberately casual about the security arrangements for Mr Modi's rally on October 27. Mr Kumar today accused the party of "following Hitler's advice," to repeat a lie many times to make it the truth.
He had his own set of accusations against Mr Modi, who visited the families of some of those who died in the Patna explosions. "How many families did he visit after the 2008 blasts in Gujarat?" he asked, referring to the terror attack in which nearly 50 people were people were killed and over 200 injured in Ahmedabad.
After Mr Kumar ended a 17-year alliance with the BJP earlier this year, both sides have traded industrial-strength insults with dogged determination. Mr Kumar said the break-up was prophylactic - he said he wasn't prepared to stick around while the BJP promoted Mr Modi to its prime ministerial candidate.
The BJP says Mr Kumar's branding of its leader as a polarizing politician who does not enjoy the confidence of Muslims is a public relations exercise aimed at Bihar's large Muslim population.
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