Patna: Deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi faced embarassment on Thursday when he had to delete his tweet defending chief minister Nitish Kumar within an hour of posting it.
He did not get support from his party leaders including state party chief Nityanand Rai and vice-president Mithilesh Tiwari. Sushil Modi was directed by the central leadership to withdraw his tweet describing Nitish Kumar as NDA captain even in 2020 Assembly elections.
Sushil Modi who returned here this morning from Mongolia attended an official meeting with Nitish Kumar at CM secretariat. Later, he deleted the tweet released an hour ago.
In his tweet he had said, "Nitish Kumar is NDA captain in Bihar and will remain its captain in 2020 Assembly elections also. When the captain is hitting sixes and fours and defeating rivals by innings, where is the question of any change".
Mithilesh Tiwari, party vice-president, issued a statement claiming the chief ministerial candidate for the next election will be decided by the NDA, not by Sushil Kumar Modi.
Two senior leaders, a former union minister and senior Rajya Sabha member, Dr C P Thakur and another former union minister and senior dalit leader in BJP, Sanjay Paswan, had earlier suggested Nitish Kumar to resign and move to the Centre by handing over power to the BJP in Bihar.
Supporters of fire-brand union minister Giriraj Singh organised a religious programme in his constitutency Begusarai to seek divine blessings to make Giriraj the next chief minister of Bihar.
By CHHAYA MISHRA