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After Eid prayers, Nitish Kumar stings Giriraj Singh for Iftar taunt

Speaking after offering prayers at a mosque on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr, Nitish Kumar told reporters that some people were prone to make unnecessary comments to stay in the headlines.

Updated on: Jun 5, 2019, 20:42:13 IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the primary target of Union Minister Giriraj Singh’s tweet attack, has finally delivered his comeback to the central minister’s taunt over iftar parties hosted by BJP allies.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar offers sewaiyan (a traditional sweet dish) to children after the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Wednesday. (PTI)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar offers sewaiyan (a traditional sweet dish) to children after the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Wednesday. (PTI)

Speaking after offering prayers at a mosque on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr, Nitish Kumar told reporters on Thursday that some people were prone to make unnecessary comments to stay in the headlines. Then came the one-line takedown.”Such people have no religion as every religion preaches respect and love for each other,” said Nitish Kumar, according to news agency ANI.

On Tuesday morning, Giriraj Singh tweeted four photos featuring Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan and his son Chirag Paswan attending an iftar party. They were seen wearing skull caps, to which Giriraj commented: “How nice it would have been if this photo was on Phalahar or Navratri. Why do we lag behind in our faith and religion?’’

Also read: Giriraj Singh gets panned for Iftar taunt, gets earful from Amit Shah too

Giriraj Singh’s comment came at a time when relations between the BJP and Nitish Kumar’s party Janata Dal United are not in the pink of health. Nitish Kumar had recently declined the BJP’s offer to induct one JD-U leader in the Narendra Modi cabinet, insisting that there should be a ‘proportional’ and not a ‘symbolic’ representation of the BJP’s allies in the Union Cabinet. That move did not go down well with many BJP leaders.

The BJP, keen that comments by its leaders do not antagonize the allies any more, had last evening sent a sharp message to Giriraj Singh that asked him to back off. Other lawmakers in the state were also told not to land into controversies because of their statements.

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