Patna, Aug. 11: Nitish Kumar has decided to fight the DNA war tooth and nail, literally, with Narendra Modi.
The chief minister's campaign managers designed a unique way by taking the hashtag (#) route to intensify the battle. At least 5,000 residents turned up at a centre set up in Gardanibagh to offer their DNA samples - hair or tooth or nail- to be tested by the Modi government.
The "#ShabdWapasi" or "#TakeBackYourWords" campaign of the JDU against Modi's remarks began with a gusto as the samples were collected in small polythene sachets pasted on a postcard, which was addressed to the Prime Minister's Office.
The samples were accompanied by the sender's name, place and signature. On one side of the postcard was the message: " Mujhe Bihari hone par garv hai, Hamare DNA mein koi kharabi nahi. Shaq hai toh jhanch karwa lo (I am proud to be a native of Bihar. There is absolutely no problem in our DNA. If you have any doubt, get it checked)."
Modi, in the BJP rally in Muzaffarpur on July 25, made a sarcastic comment about Nitish's DNA, angering the chief minister. Through his Twitter handle, Nitish unveiled "ShabdWapasi" campaign yesterday, requesting "at least 50 lakh people to join a signature campaign and send their samples to Modi for a DNA test".
JDU spokesperson Sanjay Kumar Singh said this evening: "Today, we launched the campaign in Patna. On August 13, such DNA sample collection centres would be set up in district headquarters followed by similar exercise at all 534 block headquarters on August 20." The party expects to reach the desired mark by then, as it has also launched an online campaign on tinyurl.com/ShabdWapasi.
A volunteer at the Gardanibagh centre said in the afternoon: "For now, we cannot give the total number of people who have joined the campaign. We have a logbook where name, contact number and place of the people offering samples are maintained."
The logo of the campaign has a round message box with a DNA's image inside it and a small cross. "The message box with DNA depicts the words of Modi while the cross symbolises the protest," said a source.
Ranjit Prasad Khuswaha, 59, of Haspura Aurangabad said: "I am here to support Nitishji's campaign. Modi has not only challenged Nitish's DNA but also the DNA of each and every native of Bihar."
Senior BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav took a pot shot at Nitish: "Taking the DNA samples of the people of Bihar and asking it to get it tested is quite offensive. Instead of running this, Nitish should apologise for being an opportunist in politics. He should call off this nautanki (drama) and start working for Bihar."
