BJP lauds Nitish Kumar for attending celebrations in Mumbai

BJP on Sunday praised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for going ahead with attending Bihar centenary celebrations function at Mumbai.

"Kumar's decision to attend Bihar Divas celebrations at Mumbai was aimed to promote the national unity and integrity along with the interests of Bihar," BJP national spokesman Syed Shahanawaz Hussain told reporters here.

It was due to the chief minister's explanation of his good intention behind attending Bihar centenary celebrations that those who were initially opposed to his visit backed down, he said without taking the name of MNS chief Raj Thackeray.

The celebrations being a showpiece event of JD(U) and chief minister with no leaders of the ally BJP or other parties being invited to the function, Hussain said that Kumar was the chief minister and represented the entire state and its over 10 crore people.

Hussain denied that BJP leaders have been kept out of Bihar centenary celebrations and said that a number of BJP leaders had attended such functions in Bangalore, Hyderabad and elsewhere in the country.

Hussain described Kumar as a large-hearted person vis-a-vis his telephonic conversation with Raj Thackeray and said that he never refuses to speak to anybody who wants to speak to him.