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PATNA: Apparently seeking to turn tables on the Nitish Kumar government for showering expensive gifts on MLAs, three BJP legislators including Sushil Kumar Modi today said they have decided to return microwave oven on the ground that lakhs of school teachers were not being paid salaries for over four months.

"Lakhs of school teachers (are) without salary for last four months. Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey and myself will return gifts like micro oven back to govt," Modi said in a tweet. Modi, a senior BJP leader, also flayed Bihar government for justifying expensive gifts to the lawmakers on the ground that they are poor or they will use microwave oven to taste quality of Mid-Day Meal (MDM) served to students in government schools.

In a sharp attack on the ruling party leaders, namely the Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, for defending expensive gifts to the lawmakers saying that they are poor, the former deputy chief minister reminded them that the legislators are paid Rs 1.5 lakh per month.

It may be recalled the Education Department had yesterday given microwave oven, costing Rs 11,225 each, to the MLAs drawing sharp criticism from various quarters. The Education Minister Ashok Chaudhary had defended distribution of expensive gifts to the legislators saying that it's customary during budget session and went on to add that microwave ovens will enable the beneficiaries to taste quality of MDM during inspection in schools.