Nitish snubbed me twice in review meet: Kirti Azad

In an indication that all was not well between National Democratic Alliamnce partners in Bihar, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirti Azad Sunday accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of snubbing him at a review meeting.

"The chief minister snubbed me twice when I raised the issue of water-logging in my constituency at the review meeting by him at Darbhanga on Saturday," Azad told PTI in Darbhanga.

"He (Kumar) spoke to me in an indignant way and asked to keep quite while I was trying to highlight development issues of my constituency ... He did it not once, but twice," the BJP MP from Darbhanga said, adding it was done in full view of officials and public representatives.

Azad said despite Kumar's 'impolite' behaviour, he was undeterred and highlighted the shortcomings in the implementation of the centrally-sponsored schemes, including the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojana in the district.

Referring to the development works being carried out by the NDA government, in which BJP is a junior partner, Azad said it claimed to have set up schools and hospitals but had not appointed teachers and doctors in them in sufficient numbers.

Kumar was not available for reaction, but a Janata Dal-United MLC Sanjay Singh slammed the BJP MP, saying he lacked manners while speaking to the chief minister.

Charging Azad of making baseless allegations against the chief minister, Singh said he had no ego when he "pestered" Kumar for days to agree to address an election meeting in his favour in Darbhanga parliamentary constituency four years ago.

Image: Kirti Azad