Nitish slams Modi on arrogance barb, says `only have self-respect`

After Narendra Modi in his rally slammed Nitish Kumar for being “arrogant”, the JD(U) chief contested the Gujarat chief minister`s allegation and said that coming from a poor family “I only have self-respect not arrogance”.

Zee Media Bureau/Himanshu Kapoor

Patna: After BJP`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in his rally in Purnia slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for being “arrogant”, the JD(U) chief on Wednesday contested the Gujarat chief minister`s allegation and said that coming from a poor family “I only have self-respect not arrogance”. Returning the arrogance barb of Modi, Nitish said that the arrogance drips from every inch of his body, adding that Modi`s language and postures clearly tells who is arrogant. “We are proud to be Bihari, we are not arrogant,” he told a press conference today. Addressing a massive rally in Purnia on Monday, Modi, without naming Nitish, had said that his arrogance is higher Mount Everest as he thinks that no none is better than him to be the prime minister. Nitish today hit back at Modi and said that Mount Everest cannot be a scale to measure arrogance, we respect the highest peak of Himalaya. Speaking about the demand for special status, the Bihar Chief Minister slammed the BJP saying that the party never supported when JD(U) sought special status for Bihar. Nitish said, “The state of Bihar is not asking for donation but its rights,” adding that “we will continue to fight for special status.” He highlighted the “lies” by Modi to compare the socio-economic condition of Muslims in Bihar and in Gujarat. Taking a jibe at Modi, Nitish said “Few people are dreaming of becoming the next PM. They should have their facts and data right about Bihar.” A poor landlocked Bihar can`t be compared to Gujarat, Nitish said, adding that Gujarat has been ahead of Bihar for decades.