In what may be called a veiled attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, BJP leader Sanjay Paswan on Saturday said that "some people are high on arrogance and assuming that Bihar is functioning because of them". "Some people under the illusion that Bihar is functioning because of them. They should learn simplicity from Bhola Paswan Shastri," Paswan said during an event commemorating the former Chief Minister's 105th birth anniversary. "Today's politicians have become shameless. Some of them feel that they are the paragons of virtue," he added.

Nitish Kumar on Friday had said that there is "no discord" in the BJP-JDU alliance, dismissing rumours about friction between the two parties ahead of the assembly elections in Bihar next year. "I am targeted only because some people want publicity, it makes them happy. But I work to make people of Bihar happy," the Chief Minister had said while addressing JDU leaders. "There is no discord in our alliance. Those who are trying to create problems will see their fate after the elections," he said.

READ: Nitish Kumar predicts landslide victory for NDA in Bihar state polls

Nitish Kumar predicts landslide victory

Nitish Kumar on Friday predicted a landslide victory for the NDA in the assembly polls due next year, and asserted that those trying to create a rift between his JD(U) and alliance partner BJP will be in trouble. Addressing a state council meeting of the Janata Dal (United), of which he is the national president, Kumar lashed out at his detractors, claiming that people "lacking political acumen" were trying to gain publicity by launching personal attacks on him. "Many of them have shamelessly admitted that they did so because it was their USP," the CM said.

READ | Bihar Dy CM Supports Nitish Kumar As NDA CM Face, Deletes Tweet Later

Sushil Modi backs Nitish Kumar

Taking to Twitter, BJP's Sushil Modi placed his weight behind Bihar CM and JDU chief Nitish Kumar. In a now-deleted tweet, he said that Kumar will be the 'captain of Bihar NDA in the assembly polls too.' In direct contrast to what his BJP colleague Sanjay Paswan had said a day earlier, the deputy CM said that Nitish is successfully defeating the rivals so there is no need for a new face. He, however, deleted the tweet later raising speculations of internal tussle in the NDA. Earlier, BJP MLC Sanjay Paswan had said that BJP leader should be made the next Chief Minister of Bihar. Clarifying that he is not demeaning or disrespecting the JD(U), he went on to ask Nitish Kumar to move to politics in the Centre and leave the state politics to the BJP. He claimed that the NDA gets the vote in name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then the chief ministerial candidate should also be a BJP leader. However, his comments seem to have gone wrong with the Deputy CM as evident by his tweet. 

(with ANI inputs)

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