<p>BJP today accused Nitish Kumar for equating his "supreme arrogance with the identity of Bihar" after the chief minister in an open letter charged Narendra Modi with insulting the state by taking a dig at his DNA, which he alleged was "unbecoming" of a Prime Minister.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The party also kept up its attack on Congress over the stalling of Parliament, saying the opposition party was sending a wrong message to the people and asked it to "introspect over and reconsider its belligerence" as they expect the legislature to pass pro-reform laws like GST.<br /><br />Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took on Kumar and questioned what kind of Bihari identity he showed by declining a dinner invite to Modi and returning Rs 5 crore and other relief material he (Modi) as the then Gujarat chief minister in 2010 had sent to Bihar to help flood victims.<br /><br />Kumar today took strong exception to Modi's 'DNA' remark made against him during a recent rally, saying it was deemed as "an insult by a large section of the people of the state and beyond" and asked him to withdraw it.<br /><br />"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 said in an open letter.<br /><br />At a rally in Muzaffarpur on July 25, Modi had said Kumar had not only disrespected him but also a 'mahadalit' like former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.<br /><br />"There seems to be some problem in his DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy you respect even your political rivals," Modi had said at the rally.<br /><br />Prasad said it was the height of Kumar's arrogance that he was linking the honour of Bihar with him.<br /><br />"Nitish ji, do not equate your arrogance with the great identity of Bihar which is much greater, nobler, soberer and humbler (than yours)," he told reporters at a briefing. <br /><br />Hitting out at the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Prasad said Modi will reply to his letter at an appropriate time but it was imperative for BJP to respond to his charge as he had chosen to write an open letter.<br /><br />Modi is addressing another rally in Bihar on Sunday where his party-led NDA is locked in a keen contest with Kumar-led JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance and much is stake for both combines as the assembly result will have a strong influence on the national political scene.<br /><br />By refusing to host Modi and allow him to campaign in Bihar despite the fact that he then depended on BJP to be in power, Kumar exhibited his "hate and arrogance", Prasad said.<br /><br />Asked about the ongoing Congress protest and the virtual washout of proceedings in Parliament due to it, the Union minister said the opposition party's stand was not sending a good message to the country.<br /><br />"People of the country are very distressed at what is happening in Parliament due to belligerence of Congress. Parliament has to do a lot of work and pass important pro-reform legislations. People expect us to do so. We will appeal to Congress to reconsider its belligerence... return to Parliament," he said.<br /><br />Queried on any likely move to revoke the suspension of 25 Congress members from the Lok Sabha, which has further escalated its row with the government and rallied many opposition parties around it, he said it was for Congress to speak to the Speaker about this.<br /><br />Taking a dig at the Congress cry of "murder of democracy" over the suspension, he said it had still not disowned Emergency and what it did to the judiciary, media and opposition leaders during it.<br /><br />Referring to the arrest of a suspect Pakistani terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir today, he lauded the bravery of security forces and said the incident and a Pakistani investigator's statement that the Mumbai terror attack was planned on its soil showed that terrorism had its roots in the neighbouring country.<br /><br />"Pakistan will have to answer," he said. <br /></p>
<p>BJP today accused Nitish Kumar for equating his "supreme arrogance with the identity of Bihar" after the chief minister in an open letter charged Narendra Modi with insulting the state by taking a dig at his DNA, which he alleged was "unbecoming" of a Prime Minister.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The party also kept up its attack on Congress over the stalling of Parliament, saying the opposition party was sending a wrong message to the people and asked it to "introspect over and reconsider its belligerence" as they expect the legislature to pass pro-reform laws like GST.<br /><br />Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took on Kumar and questioned what kind of Bihari identity he showed by declining a dinner invite to Modi and returning Rs 5 crore and other relief material he (Modi) as the then Gujarat chief minister in 2010 had sent to Bihar to help flood victims.<br /><br />Kumar today took strong exception to Modi's 'DNA' remark made against him during a recent rally, saying it was deemed as "an insult by a large section of the people of the state and beyond" and asked him to withdraw it.<br /><br />"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 said in an open letter.<br /><br />At a rally in Muzaffarpur on July 25, Modi had said Kumar had not only disrespected him but also a 'mahadalit' like former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.<br /><br />"There seems to be some problem in his DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy you respect even your political rivals," Modi had said at the rally.<br /><br />Prasad said it was the height of Kumar's arrogance that he was linking the honour of Bihar with him.<br /><br />"Nitish ji, do not equate your arrogance with the great identity of Bihar which is much greater, nobler, soberer and humbler (than yours)," he told reporters at a briefing. <br /><br />Hitting out at the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Prasad said Modi will reply to his letter at an appropriate time but it was imperative for BJP to respond to his charge as he had chosen to write an open letter.<br /><br />Modi is addressing another rally in Bihar on Sunday where his party-led NDA is locked in a keen contest with Kumar-led JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance and much is stake for both combines as the assembly result will have a strong influence on the national political scene.<br /><br />By refusing to host Modi and allow him to campaign in Bihar despite the fact that he then depended on BJP to be in power, Kumar exhibited his "hate and arrogance", Prasad said.<br /><br />Asked about the ongoing Congress protest and the virtual washout of proceedings in Parliament due to it, the Union minister said the opposition party's stand was not sending a good message to the country.<br /><br />"People of the country are very distressed at what is happening in Parliament due to belligerence of Congress. Parliament has to do a lot of work and pass important pro-reform legislations. People expect us to do so. We will appeal to Congress to reconsider its belligerence... return to Parliament," he said.<br /><br />Queried on any likely move to revoke the suspension of 25 Congress members from the Lok Sabha, which has further escalated its row with the government and rallied many opposition parties around it, he said it was for Congress to speak to the Speaker about this.<br /><br />Taking a dig at the Congress cry of "murder of democracy" over the suspension, he said it had still not disowned Emergency and what it did to the judiciary, media and opposition leaders during it.<br /><br />Referring to the arrest of a suspect Pakistani terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir today, he lauded the bravery of security forces and said the incident and a Pakistani investigator's statement that the Mumbai terror attack was planned on its soil showed that terrorism had its roots in the neighbouring country.<br /><br />"Pakistan will have to answer," he said. <br /></p>