Nitish Kumar regrets Narendra Singh's remarks giving clean chit to Pakistan

PATNA: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday regretted his minister Narendra Singh's remarks giving clean chit to Pakistan for the killing of five Indian soldiers by the Pakistani Army on the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district recently.

The Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh's remarks on martyrdom of five Indian soldiers is regrettable, Kumar told reporters in reply to question.

Singh on Tuesday had given a clean chit to Pakistan saying that he did not think that Islamabad was responsible for the killing of five Indian soldiers on the LOC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir and had said that the attack might have been carried out by militants from across the border in the disguise of Pakistani soldiers.

He had also described Pakistan as India's 'younger brother' and a neighbour during a press conference in his native Jamui district yesterday.

Singh had also come to the rescue of his beleaguered colleague Bhim Singh, who holds Rural Works and Panchayati Raj departments in the Nitish Kumar government, saying that the matter related to his insensitive remarks that policemen and soldiers are recruited in service to make sacrifices for the nation should be closed in the wake of the latter's unqualified apology.