Bihar’s Janata Dal (United) has called out BJP MP Giriraj Singh for his recent remarks that the Nitish Kumar-led government was “inept” at controlling the  floods in the state which left 72 people dead last week.

“He (Giriraj Singh) is not even comparable to a speck of dust on Nitish Kumar’s feet. One does not become a leader just by chanting the name of Mahadev (Lord Shiva) every now and then,” JD(U) spokesman Sanjay Singh lashed out at the Begusarai MP. Giriraj Singh often refers to Lord Shiva in his speeches.

Another JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Prasad alleged that it was BJP’s fault who is responsible for the urban development in the state, “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.

Giriraj Singh had said“Jab taali sardaar ko, to gaali bhi sardaar ko,” when asked about the chief minister and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi coming under attack over water-logging in many parts of the state.

“The government issued an alert asking the people to be on guard. But was it on guard itself? Had it been so, people would not have been compelled to suffer so much of misery,” news agency PTI quoted the BJP leader.

JD(U) national general secretary and chief spokesman KC Tyagi expressed his vexation in Delhi, “Giriraj Singh has become a habitual offender. He is causing more damage to our alliance than Tejashwi Yadav (leader of the opposition in state assembly, belonging to RJD) could be capable of.”

There have been instances in the past when Giriraj Singh has been reprimanded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah for his over the top remarks, Tyagi said adding that he wondered why the saffron party leadership has not yet been able to rein in the loose cannon.

The RJD which has been down since its debacle in Lok Sabha polls, sought to fish in troubled waters. Party national spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said, “It is one of the rare occasions when we have found ourselves on the same page as a polarising BJP leader like Giriraj Singh. He is perfectly right in blaming the NDA government in Bihar for the Patna disaster”.

RJD national vice-president and former union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh commented: “What he (Giriraj Singh) is saying makes perfect sense.”

Meanwhile, BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav also lashed out at the Bihar government saying a system has been put in place in which the bureaucracy is out of control. “Areas of my Pataliputra Lok Sabha constituency are water-logged but when I try to contact officials they do not show the courtesy of even picking up the phone,” he said.

State BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand, however, tried to control the damage.

“When the matter belongs to our home, why should anyone go before the media. Agreed that some leaders are under pressure to address public grievances during floods. But the CM and the deputy CM are working tirelessly,” he said