Nitish Kumar rubbishes BJP's telephone tapping charge

Patna: Amid the war of words between former NDA allies, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today rubbished BJP's allegations of telephone tapping and snooping and took a jibe at Narendra Modi, saying his government does not have expertise in them like a 'big leader from the west'.

"We do not have expertise in sting operations and snooping like a big leader from the west who specialises in such acts," Kumar told reporters to a question on allegations of telephone tapping and sting operation levelled against him by senior BJP leader and his former deputy Sushil Kumar Modi.

Narendra Modi, Kumar's bete noire, is in the eye of a storm over alleged snooping of a woman in 2009.

Sushil Modi had yesterday charged Kumar with ordering tapping of phones of the party's leaders and carrying out sting operations to settle political scores.

The charges followed Nitish Kumar deriding him for scolding party leaders at Hajipur for inadequate attendance of mediapersons when he had gone there last week to meet those injured in the October 27 serial blasts.

The episode was put on Youtube in which Sushil Kumar Modi is seen angrily telling partymen that reporters of only a few TV news channels were present and the channels would drop his programme after two hours to highlight BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

It seemed Sushil Modi was in competition with the BJP prime ministerial candidate (Narendra Modi) for whom he was initially firing salvos at him, Kumar had added.