Bihar on Wednesday witnessed a virtual letter war with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar writing an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to take back his “DNA remark” which he made against him during the BJP’s Parivartan Rally at Muzaffarpur on July 25, while later in the day, the National Democratic Alliance too dropped a letter in response, saying “Bihar is not Nitish, Nitish is not Bihar!”
Making a reference to Mr. Nitish Kumar’s dinner invitation to BJP leaders in June 2010 that he later cancelled because of Mr. Modi, and removal of Jitan Ram Manjhi, a Maha Dalit, from the post of Chief Minister, Mr. Modi had said at the rally: “There seems to be some problem in his [Nitish Kumar] DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy you respect even your political rivals.”
While asserting that he was a son of Bihar and his “DNA is similar to that of the people of Bihar,” Mr. Nitish Kumar in his letter said: “Your words have been taken as an insult by a large section of the people of the State and beyond. Most of us also feel that coming from you, the comment is rather unbecoming of the office you hold.”
He urged the Prime Minister to “consider taking back these words.”
“Not the first time”He also reminded the Prime Minister that this was not the first time that they have faced this. “Earlier as well, your colleague and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari had said that ‘casteism is in the DNA of Bihar’,” wrote Mr. Kumar.
Responding strongly, the NDA in its letter said: “The remarks of the Prime Minister pertained to Shri Kumar’s (and not that of Bihar’s) political DNA and not your or Bihar’s DNA.”
It asked Mr. Nitish Kumar to apologise to the people of Bihar for “shamelessly distorting the words of the PM.”
