Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday refused to respond to the claims made by political strategist Prashant Kishor and said he is resorting to a publicity stunt.
Kumar was responding to Kishor's claim that his channels with BJP are not yet closed even as he left the NDA in August this year to rejoin hands with RJD.
"Kindly don't ask me about him. He speaks for his own publicity and can speak whatever he wants, we don't care. He's young. There was a time when I respected him...those whom I respected had disrespected me," said Kumar.
"It is difficult to understand if he (Nitish Kumar) has come out of the alliance, why one of his MPs is still holding an important position in Rajya Sabha. So as far as I know, Nitish Kumar has not closed his channels with BJP," Prashant Kishor said in a video provided by him to ANI.
"As far as I know, Nitish Kumar is surely with Mahagathbandhan but hasn't closed his channels with BJP, biggest proof is that Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who is a JD-U MP, neither resigned from his post nor the party asked him to do so or action has been taken against him," he added.
Nitish Kumar had broken off ties with BJP in August this year and taken oath again as Bihar Chief Minister after rejoining hands with Rashtriya Janata Dal and other parties in the Mahagathbandhan.
Kishor said some people think that Nitish Kumar is working towards a big alliance against the BJP at the Centre but "this is not very credible". He said of 17 years that Nitish Kumar has been chief minister, he has held the post with support of BJP for 14 years.
Both Nitish Kumar and Prahant Kishor have taken potshots at each other in the recent past.
Kishor, who had joined the JD-U and was a national vice president, had been expelled by the party in January 2020 for "acting against the party's decisions".
Kishor had said earlier this month hit out at Nitish Kumar over his remarks that he was "working for the BJP" and said the Chief Minister had become "delusional".
"He (Kumar) has been affected by his age and has turned delusional. He has been politically isolated as he is surrounded by people who he himself does not trust. And it is because of this nervousness he speaks other than what he means," Kishor had said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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