Freedom of speech on Modi: Nitish Kumar backs Amartya Sen

New Delhi, July 26: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the demand by a BJP MP that the Bharat Ratna be taken back from noted economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and said he was happy separating from the party.

"This just makes it clear that the decision of parting ways with the BJP was totally correct. What kind of thinking do they have," Nitish Kumar told reporters here.

Amartya Sen had said that he did not want to see Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the prime minister of the country as Modi did not have secular credentials.

Responding to this, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra on Wednesday tweeted that the next National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government should strip Sen of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, for the economist's comments slamming Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

"Does it mean there is no freedom of speech in this country? Though they are not going to get a chance (of coming to power), but suppose they do... is this the thinking with which they claim they will provide leadership and take the nation forward," Nitish Kumar asked.

"This line of thought can only take the nation backward. People have rejected this line of thought, and will keep rejecting it."

Mitra did not regret his comment on twitter and further went on to add that Amartya Sen sells Congress and hence does not deserve an award as prestigious as Bharat Ratna.

The BJP has distanced itself from Mitra's comment saying it was his "personal opinion".

With agency inputs.

OneIndia News