Nitish terms PM's degree controversy 'non-issue'

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) President Nitish Kumar today termed the controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualification as a "non-issue". "For me these are non-issues," he said here replying to a question by media on BJP President Amit Shah and Union Minister Arun Jaitley seeking a public apology from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for kicking off the controversy. "First they (BJP) should express regret for uttering filth during Bihar (assembly) polls (held last year)," he said. He was apparently hinting at the "DNA" comments made by Modi against him and other barbs by BJP ministers and leaders during the Bihar assembly poll. On Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Vice-president Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leading a march in Delhi recently against the NDA government, Kumar said "They (BJP) are more interested in hitting at a person rather than discussing policy." "They applied the same tactics on me too by making personal attacks in place of highlighting the short-comings of my government's policies," Kumar said. On his proposed visit to Dhanbad in Jharkhand tomorrow to take part in a programme against prohibition and receiving congratulatory messages from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan for imposing a complete ban on alcohol in Bihar, Kumar said, "Bihar has started a social revolution by imposing liquor ban. Wherever I am called for a programme on prohibition, I will accept it." Kumar said he had not yet received any communication from the External Affairs ministry about any invitation to him from Nepal government for a visit to Lumbini on May 21 to take part in a Buddha Purnima programme along with the Prime Minister. The security was tight at the 'Janata ke Darbar me Mukhya Mantri' programme at the One Anne Marg residence-cum-office of the Chief Minister today, in view of the incident on Monday last week when a youth hurled a slipper at him.