Mounting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw his DNA barb, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday asked the people whether they would like a Bihari or a ‘bahari’ to rule the state and scale it to new heights of development.
“I have come to ask you that who will run Bihar? Bihari or ‘bahari’ (outsider)? When a Bihari is available, why do you need to look anywhere else?” he said while speaking at an election rally here.
Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “DNA remark” against him at the BJP’s parivartan rally in Muzaffarpur on July 25, Nitish said the former finds a problem in the DNA of a popularly elected Chief Minister.
“You made me the Chief Minister and now the Prime Minister is saying that there is a problem with my DNA. I want to ask the BJP and the NDA that if there is something wrong with my DNA then they should prove it. Lakhs of people of Bihar have sent their DNA samples. They are lying at the post-office. The PMO is not taking accepting them. If they are not accepting them then return it,” he said.
The Janata Dal (United) leader used the occasion to corner Prime Minister Modi over his ‘shaitan’ (devil) jibe directed at Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Nitish also took a jibe at Prime Minister Modi’s pet schemes like the Smart Cities.
“Modi ji wants to make smart cities. But Modi ji we will make our villages so nice that those people will not even go to have a look at your smart city. This is our path of development. If you give us a chance to work, this is what we will do,” he said.
57 percent and 55 percent voting were recorded in the first and second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections respectively.
While the third phase is scheduled for October 28, the fourth phase will be held on November 1. The final phase will take place on November 5.
The counting of votes will take place on November 8.
There are 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar.