Bihar CM Nitish Kumar taunts Amit Shah over'JP disciples' remarks

PATNA: In a fresh attack on Union home minister Amit Shah, CM Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said he gives no importance to the taunts of "forgetting JP's ideology" by those people whose political career began just 20 years ago, much later after the JP movement of 1974.
"Was he (Shah) any way connected to JP (Jayaprakash Narayan) or his movement? Was he any way related with JP's ideology? His political career began just 20 years ago. Does it make any sense for him to make comment on JP? What sort of idea they (BJP leaders) have about the ideology of JP?" Nitish retorted back when asked about Shah's comment at the Loknayak's village Sitab Diara on Tuesday that the "disciples of JP sacrificed his ideology for power and they are now sitting in the lap of the Congress."
Responding to media queries after paying tributes to veteran socialist Ram Manohar Lohia on his death anniversary here, Nitish also said they (BJP leaders) were free to make comments/ taunts on him. "They have no information about JP. We had long association with JP. And now, they are "telling" us about JP," said Nitish, who was part of the JP movement in Bihar in 1974.
"But now, they have got an opportunity to be in power at the Centre. So, they can speak against me. What can I do," he said.
"He (Shah) came into prominence in political circles only 2002 onwards, when the current Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) was the chief minister (of Gujarat). What was his political standing then and where was he before that period? ... What does he know about JP and his movement? How old is he?" Nitish asked.
The Bihar CM also made fun of BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal. Asked about a Facebook post by Jaiswal in which he took potshots at the Nitish-led government over non-fulfilment of the promise of 10 lakh jobs made by deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, Nitish said, "Please ask from Jaiswal when was he in the RJD."
Initially, Nitish expressed ignorance about Jaiswal and said, "Who is he? I cannot make out about whom you are talking," Nitish said in a bid to downsize Jaiswal who once contested assembly elections as the RJD candidate.