Divisive language may cost PM India, says Nitish Kumar

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday launched a counter-attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his stinging remarks against him on the issue of being an “outsider”.

Mr Kumar, busy on Friday addressing rallies for the fourth phase, slammed the PM on Twitter, saying, “Astonished at Modiji’s brazen use of divisive language. In his desperation to win the losing battle of Bihar, I’m afraid he might lose India.”

Mr Kumar’s tweets came after Mr Modi’s rallies in Gopalganj and Muzaffarpur in which he had accused Mr Kumar of using the word “bahri (outsider)” to describe him in order to gain in the ongoing Assembly election.

Immediately after Mr Kumar attacked the PM, RJD chief Lalu Yadav, calling the BJP a “party of liars”, took on the PM for attacking him in Gopalganj, his home turf. The RJD chief said, “BJP Badka Jhootha Party hai re bhai (BJP is a party of big liars, my brothers). If only words could be threshed like wheat, then PM Modi would have fed the whole country with his lies.”

Earlier Mr Yadav had launched a massive verbal attack on BJP national president Amit Shah for a statement on Thursday accusing leaders of the grand secular alliance, and particularly Mr Lalu Yadav, of giving patronage to criminals and terrorists. Calling Mr Shah a “narpishach (demon)”, Mr Yadav said, “Amit Shah has lost his mind, he is making such comments as he knows how badly they are going to lose Bihar.”