Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said the former defence minister George Fernandes is being "misled" by others.
Amid deepening controversy over denial of ticket by JD-U to its veteran leader George Fernandes from his sitting Muzaffarpur seat, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said the former defence minister is being "misled" by others.
"Whatever George is saying is not his words," Kumar said when asked to comment on the former defence minister's assertions on contesting from Muzaffarpur even after denial of ticket by the party.
"You have seen the person who is standing beside him... Ganesh Yadav. He is not even a member of our party. He is in RJD, and our JD-U candidate defeated him in the last assembly election," Kumar said referring to photographs and video clips in newspapers and TV channels in which Yadav is seen standing near Fernandes in Muzaffarpur.
The Bihar CM made the observation while replying to queries whether somebody is misleading Fernandes.
There are people who are goading him to contest for political and other reasons, Kumar claimed.
Maintaining that he has full respect for Fernandes, Kumar defended the party's decision not to give him a ticket saying, "The party requested him (not to contest) keeping in mind his health. We are his well wishers and all his well wishers have a common opinion."
"Fernandes' wife Leila Kabir Fernandes also said this (that George should not contest) is not only hers but even their son's opinion. Even his brother settled in Canada said he also held the same view," the Bihar chief minister said, adding that he read about these opinions in newspapers and has not met them personally.
"Chairman of the co-operative formed by Fernandes in Mumbai flew down to New Delhi to convince him that the party's decision is correct. He (the chairman) even talked to me in this regard," Kumar added.
Asked whether he would meet Fernandes personally, Kumar said, "That's a matter between me and Fernandes."
Kumar, however, maintained he had no information about Fernandes's visit to Bihar otherwise he would have received him in Patna.
He also said the ticket distribution by the party in Bihar is now a closed chapter. JD-U chief Sharad Yadav earlier said Fernandes is not in a condition to contest the Lok Sabha poll.
Interestingly, the Bihar chief minister arrived in the national capital on Tuesday, the day when 79-year-old Fernandes, went to Patna, reportedly with a plan to walk down the one-and-half kilometre distance from the airport to the CM residence to show that he was fit enough to contest the poll.
Fernandes was greeted by JD(U) dissident leaders Digvijay Singh and Jagannath Mishra, besides hundreds of his supporters on his arrival in Patna on Tuesday from where he headed straight to Muzaffarpur.
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