BJP asks why Nitish Kumar is 'soft' on Congress

The Bharatiya Janata Party Wednesday lashed out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for being "soft" on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government on issues related to corruption, inflation and misgovernance.

"Nitish never spoke a word about Congress' corruption, not even a word on inflation, or the misgovernance of the UPA," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.

"Why is Nitish soft on Congress and hard on Modi," Prasad asked, while speaking of the ongoing war of words between the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar.

On the Left-sponsored convention in Delhi, which saw the participation of 17 political outfits, Prasad said: "There is a ritual going on in Delhi, the quest for an illusory Third Front. The Third Front is history, with no relevance today."

On Sunday, Modi launched a blistering attack on Nitish Kumar at a rally in Patna that was marred by bomb blasts. Six people died in the blasts, which also left 83 injured.

Nitish Kumar hit back at Modi Tuesday, saying his desire to become the prime minister will remain a dream.