New Delhi: Terrorist David Coleman Headley’s recent revelation that Ishrat Jahan was a LeT suicide bomber, has ignited a fresh political row in Bihar, with NDA leaders hitting out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD Chief Lalu Yadav for referring to her as “Daughter of Bihar” in the past. The NDA has demanded that Nitish apologise for being sympathetic towards the alleged LeT operative.

Headley while testifying himself through video conferencing from USA revealed before the court that Ishrat Jahan was an LeT operative in India and was one of the suicide bomber’s of the Pakistan based terrorist outfit.

While referring to Headley’s statement on Ishrat Jahan the BJP on Thursday mounted an attack on the grand secular alliance government, accusing them for playing with National security by defending her after she was killed in an encounter in Gujarat in 2004.

“Once Nitish and Lalu claimed Ishrat Jahan as Bihar’s daughter and condemned Gujarat government for her encounter. Now Nitish should react”, senior BJP Leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said this through a tweet message.

Earlier Union Minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh had slammed the chief minister and his other Mahagathbandhan colleagues for doing “vote bank politics” after she was killed in an encounter in Gujarat.

He said, “Nitish Kumar must come forward and apologize after this revelation by David Coleman Headley”. Adding to this Union Minister Ashwini Choubey demanded resignation of Nitish Kumar saying that “after the truth was revealed by Headley Nitish Kumar must resign for defending her”.

The JD (U) and other anti – BJP forces had made her encounter a political agenda during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and had criticized the Gujarat government terming her as “Bihar ki Beti”, (Daughter of Bihar).

Ishrat Jahan was born in Bihar and had spent her childhood in Patna and Munger district. Her parents later shifted to Mumbai after her father’s business failed to pick up in Bihar.