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Updated: Oct 07, 2019 09:30 IST

With a compliment to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for his re-election as the chief of Janata Dal(United), his deputy Sushil Modi has tried to quell criticism over the handling of the flood situation in the state and Patna, especially from Union minister Giriraj Singh.

In his tweet, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushil Modi also projected a united face of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the eastern state.

“Congratulations to Nitish Kumar for being elected the national president of NDA ally Janata Dal(United). He has given a new height to justice with development in Bihar and turned challenges amid disaster into opportunities to serve people. The election of Nitish to the top spot of the party will strengthen the NDA,” Sushil Modi tweeted in Hindi.

एनडीए के सहयोगी दल जनता दल- यू का राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष चुने जाने पर मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार को हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ।



उन्होंने बिहार में न्याय के साथ विकास की राजनीति को नई ऊंचाई दी और आपदा की चुनौतियों को भी जनता की सेवा के अवसर में बदलने का हुनर साबित किया।



नीतीश जी के...... pic.twitter.com/pG9z1UsPN0 — Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) 6 October 2019

Union minister for animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries Giriraj Singh has said Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar should shoulder the blame coming his way in the wake of Bihar floods.

The worst-hit was Bihar’s capital Patna, where 1.6 million of its two million residents are battling water-logging, exposing the city’s poor drainage and infrastructure system.

Many residents said they were forced to live with no power or phone lines for two days as rising waters snapped communication lines and electricity supply.

The showers in the city were the second heaviest in 50 years and the weather office said the bulk of the September’s rainfall was received in the past week.

Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has also slammed Giriraj Singh for his comments that “a leader should accept praise as well as blame” as he held the chief minister and deputy chief minister Sushil Modi responsible for the aftermath of the Patna floods.

JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad countered Giriraj Singh, a known Nitish Kumar baiter, with facts to point out that it was largely the BJP which was responsible for the crisis in Patna.

“Ever since the JD(U)-BJP combine has been ruling the state, the urban development portfolio has been with our alliance partner. The Mayor of Patna belongs to the BJP and so do the MPs representing the two Lok Sabha constituencies that cover the district. All the assembly segments in the city have been BJP strongholds since the 1990s,” Prasad said according to PTI.

Giriraj Singh on Sunday escalated the ongoing war of words over the hardship caused by flood and waterlogging by apologising on behalf of the NDA to the people living in affected areas for missing out on Durga Puja festivities.

The minister has been attacking the state government since last week. The member of Parliament from Begusarai has directly blamed Nitish Kumar-led NDA government and its callous attitude for the worst waterlogging in Patna and floods in the state.

He said there is loot in the name of relief in flood-hit areas.

Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal has also accused the administration of negligence in dealing with the situation.