DNA to NDA: Akhilesh mocks Nitish Kumar over renewed friendship with BJP

Nitish Kumar’s took over as the Bihar chief minister again two days after he surprised his former coalition partners, the RJD and Congress, to part ways and return to the BJP, his former ally with which he ran a previous coalition government till 2013.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday mocked Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar switching alligience to the BJP, reminding the JD (U) leader about a war of words over his DNA with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav with party leader Azam Khan addressing the press at Vidhan Sabha in Lucknow.(PTI Photo)

Yadav’s taunt came a few days after Kumar dumped his allies, RJD and Congress, to renew his old friendship with the BJP and formed a new JD(U)-led NDA government.

“DNA ki baat karne waale aaj NDA mein chale gaye (the one who spoke about DNA, has joined the NDA),” Yadav told ANI in Lucknow.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was apparently referring to Modi questioning Kumar’s DNA in an 2015 attack on the JD(U) leader’s frequent change of political allegiences. Modi’s barb came soon after Kumar led the so-called grand alliance to victory over the BJP in the Bihar assembly polls.

Though Modi later said he was referring to “DNA of democracy”, an angry Kumar had said the comment was an insult to the state and “also gives credence to the feeling that perhaps you and your party hold a prejudice against the people of Bihar”.

Earlier on Thursday, Yadav had referred to a popular Bollywood song to take on Nitish.

“Na-na karte pyar tumhi se kar baithe, karna tha inkar magar ikrar tumhi se kar baithe. Bihar today,” Akhilesh said in a tweet.

The song from the 1965 Bollywood film Jab Jab Phool Khile, loosely refers to someone saying yes after repeatedly rebuffing overtures professing love.

The Yadav-led SP was ousted from power by the BJP early this year in a bitterly-contested assembly elections.

With three members of the legislative council (MLCs) – the upper house of the state assembly – quitting on Saturday, Yadav accused the BJP of “indulging in political corruption from Bihar to UP”.

“People are watching everything,” he added.