Nitish Kumar rakes up PM's DNA remark in dying moments of Bihar campaign

Darbhanga (Bihar): Bihar Chief Minister raked up Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘DNA’ remark on the last day of campaigning for the final phase of polling and asked the people to reply to the barb by voting in favour of the grand secular alliance on 5 November. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not remember for 14 months to visit Bihar, which gave him 31 out of 40 seats in Lok Sabha polls. I went to receive him at the airport in Patna as the PM was coming to participate in a government function (in July). But the Prime Minister, later, at Muzaffarpur questioned my DNA,” Kumar told a public meeting in Hayaghat in Darbhanga district. [caption id=“attachment_2483522” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Nitish Kumar in a file photo. PTI[/caption] “The Prime Minister said there is something wrong with my DNA. Does it behove the Prime Minister? Does it go with the dignity attached to the post? If my DNA is wrong, then why you (people) elected me the Chief Minister twice ? Trashing Modi’s accusation that he was arrogant, Kumar said he is not one but a “Bihari who will not let anyone go unchallenged if he attacks the self-respect of Bihar and its people”. “If (you think) my DNA is not wrong, then give them (BJP) a reply by voting in favour of secular alliance on November 5,” he said. Modi, while attacking Nitish Kumar at a rally in Muzaffarpur on 25 July, much before the poll dates were announced, had said there was “some problem with Nitish Kumar’s DNA”, while referring to the frequent changes in his political allegiance. Nitish had reacted sharply and swiftly to the remark describing it as an “insult” to the people of Bihar. PM’s DNA comment was one of the major issues raised by the grand alliance during electioneering. Campaigning for JD(U) candidate Amarnath Gami, Kumar said, “Why does Narendra Modi despise me? He has become the Prime Minister, while I am only the Chief minister of a state. Why has he problems with me?” Nitish Kumar asked what happened to Modi’s poll promises of depositing Rs 15 lakh in every individual’s bank account from the black money brought back to the country and creating two crore jobs annually. Pitching for a substantial hike in Minimum Support Price for farm produce, Kumar criticised the Modi government for raising MSP thrice since assuming office but “only nominally”. On rising prices of food items, especially pulses, he said BJP’s new slogan is “namak roti khao, PM ke gun gao’ (eat just salt and roti and sing praises of Modi) instead of the old saying ‘Dal roti khao, Prabhu ke gun gao” (eat dal and roti and sing paeans to the Lord). Continuing his tirade, Kumar said people used to have rice, pulses and vegetables as their staple diet but now pulses have vanished from the plate of the common man. “Where is the promise of achche din?” Maintaining that he worked for all sections of the society, Kumar said his government not only constituted ‘Sawarna Aayog’ (Commission for upper castes) but also implemented its recommendations under which students from families having less than Rs 1.5 lakh annual income are getting benefits of various schemes. PTI