Patna:
In Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pointedly celebrated the birthday of party leader Narendra Modi who has been virtually banned from the state by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
He said the ceremony for the BJP leader's 62nd birthday, organised by senior minister Giriraj Singh, did not perturb him. "What is there to object about? ...I too take this opportunity to wish Mr Modi a happy birthday and a long life. But my only regret is that Giriraj-
ji did not offer me a piece of cake," the Chief Minister said.
Mr Singh, who is the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister and a vocal supporter of Mr Modi, cut a 62-kg cake at the BJP office. He described Mr Modi as "a builder of the nation" and said many in the country want to see Mr Modi run for prime minister.
In Gujarat, Mr Modi tweeted photos of himself with his mother. He said, "Touching the feet of my mother on this day is the greatest blessing for me."
The BJP co-governs Bihar with Mr Kumar, knowing that he is not a Modi fan. In the last general and state elections, Mr Kumar told the BJP that it could not have Mr Modi campaign in his state, a point made to ensure that Bihar's 18 per cent Muslim population does not waiver in its support for the current coalition.
In response to Mr Kumar's comments, the BJP has said that it does not need lessons in secularism from anyone. But its president, Nitin Gadkari, has also said that no decision has been made yet on Mr Modi's future as the party's nominee for PM for the next general election. Recently, the Shiv Sena, an old BJP ally, said that it would like to see the BJP's Sushma Swaraj run for PM.