Sushil Kumar Modi charges Nitish with misleading people on Prez visit

Patna, Oct 8: BJP leader

on Tuesday charged Chief Minister

with misleading the people on finalising the date of the presidential visit to Bihar, which is scheduled on October 26-27 and coincides with the party's 'Hunkar Rally'.

BJP had finalised the date of the rally way back on March 20 and Kumar was fully aware of it. "He is duty-bound to apprise President Pranab Mukherjee of the scheduled political event during his visit," Modi said in a statement.

BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will address the 'Hunkar Rally'. Kumar had yesterday said the president's schedule was finalised by Rashtrapati Bhawan in July and the state government was not consulted.

Hence the state government had no role in the programme scheduling. "Does not it appear to be a conspiracy by the chief minister to sabotage Hunkar rally?" Sushil Modi asked and alleged that the venue of IIT-Patna convocation, to be attended by the president on October 26, was deliberately chosen to obstruct the movement of those attending the rally.

BJP had finalised the date of the rally on March 20 and Nitish was aware of it.

The convocation venue is near Gandhi Maidan where the rally would be held and the movement of rallyists would be obstructed as an elaborate security blanket, including barricading, would be required as per norms for the presidential visit, he said slamming the chief minister.

Kumar was creating obstructions in the holding of the rally due to his pronounced jealousy of Narendra Modi, he said and claimed the rally would nonetheless be a successful event.

Echoing him, senior BJP leader C P Thakur hoped Mukherjee would defer his visit.

He said that a BJP delegation should meet the president after his return from a foreign tour and apprise him about his Bihar visit coinciding with the Hunkar rally and request him to defer it.

PTI