Janata Dal United (JDU) vice-president Prashant Kishor has hit back at Bihar Chief Minister Nishant Kumar's claim that he was inducted into the party on the recommendation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Prashant Kishor has been publicly objecting to the JDU supporting the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that has been dubbed by many legal experts and lawmakers as "unconstitutional" for allegedly being discriminatory on religious grounds against a particular community.

On Tuesday, Nitish Kumar reacted to questions about rebellion within his party. In a veiled reference to Kishor, Nitish Kumar said, "Someone (JDU leader Pavan Verma) wrote a letter I replied to it. Someone is tweeting, let him a tweet. What do I've to do with it? One can stay at the party till he wants. He can go if he wants...Do you know how did he join the party? Amit Shah asked me to induct him."

#WATCH Bihar CM on Prashant Kishor:Someone wrote a letter I replied to it,someone is tweeting,let him tweet. What do I've to do with it? One can stay in the party (JD-U) till he wants,he can go if he wants...Do you know how did he join the party?Amit Shah asked me to induct him. pic.twitter.com/wlN4Q2o9uo ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2020

Now, Prashant Kishor has accused Nitish Kumar of lying about why he joined JDU.

Taking to Twitter, Kishor wrote, "Nitish Kumar what a fall for you to lie about how and why you made me join JDU|| Poor attempt on your part to try and make my colour same as yours!"

.@NitishKumar what a fall for you to lie about how and why you made me join JDU!! Poor attempt on your part to try and make my colour same as yours!



And if you are telling the truth who would believe that you still have courage not to listen to someone recommended by @AmitShah? Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) January 28, 2020

"And if you are telling the truth who would believe that you still have the courage not to listen to someone recommended by Amit Shah?" he added.

Prashant Kishor also said that he would "come to Bihar" to answer the party leader.

Kishor has more than once made his differences with the party known on the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act. The JDU supported the legislation in both Houses of Parliament.

The Congress and several other non-NDA parties opposed the Bill in Parliament that sought to give Indian citizenship to only non-Muslim people fleeing religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and who arrive in India before January 1, 2015, on the grounds that it discriminates don religious grounds wh9ich is against India's Constitution.

However, the government succeeded in getting it passed with the help of various other parties, including the JDU. Protests are raging against the new citizenship law across the country.

On January 24 this year, Nitish Kumar had hit out at senior party leader and retired diplomat Pavan K Varma over a letter written by the latter to Kumar about JDU's alliance with BJP in Delhi Assembly elections, and went on to say that Varma was free to join any party he liked.