'What has new father of nation done?' Nitish questions Modi
Janta Dal (United) (JDU) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday and questioned what the "new father" of the "new India" had done so far for the country. The Bihar CM's remarks came in response to Devendra Fadnavis' wife Amruta's recent "Modi as Father of the Nation of New India" statement.
Why does this story matter?
On December 21, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister's wife said, "India has two fathers of the nation. One belonged to the India of yore and the other is for a new India." "I believe that Mahatma Gandhi is the 'Father of the Nation' of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the 'Father of the Nation' of new India," Amruta had said.
RSS had nothing to do with fight for Independence: Kumar
Kumar, while reacting to Amruta's remarks on Saturday, stated that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) did not have any contribution to India's fight for Independence. "They had nothing to do with the fight for Independence. We read about the remark 'New father of the nation'... what has the 'new father' of 'new India' done for the nation?" the Bihar CM said.
Watch: Kumar's response to 'new father' remark
Father of the nation can't be compared with anyone: Patole
Nana Patole, Maharashtra Congress President, also took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and stated that Mahatma Gandhi could not be compared with anyone. Patole said, "Father of the nation can't be compared with anyone. BJP's 'new India' is only about making a few super-rich friends while the rest of the population remains downtrodden and hungry. We don't need this 'new India."
'Can be two fathers in BJP but not of India'
Senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari also took a dig at the comments made by the Maharashtra deputy chief minister's wife. "There can be two fathers in BJP but not in the country. There'll be only one father of the nation," said the Congress leader. "Amrita spoke what was present in the heart of the BJP. They are worshipers of Godse," he added.
BJP and its associates always hated Congress, Gandhi: Tiwari
Tiwari claimed that the BJP and its associations had hatred for Congress and Gandhi. "This is not just an insult to Gandhi but to the entire nation. This theory was that of the BJP and not the nation," he told ANI.
