The state has been reeling from one natural calamity after another. But that has not deterred politicians from slugging it out against each other.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh recently praised the chief minister for the state's quick response to squalls hitting north Bihar, while Nitish reciprocated by praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the quick response his government offered in the case.

Politics took the front seat again on Monday. Unsatisfied with the relief work in storm and earthquake-hit districts in Bihar, Union minister for food and consumer protection minister Ram Vilas Paswan said the Centre would consider the recent calamity in Bihar as a "national disaster" if the state government sent a report on the damages.

Nitish hit back instantly. He declared that those who were talking about "national disaster" did not know the meaning of it. "To me it's an international disaster," Nitish retorted, while speaking to journalists.

In spite of the praise by central BJP leaders showered on Nitish Kumar, state BJP leaders continued their attack on tardy distribution of relief. The poster boy of Bihar BJP and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi visited storm and earthquake hit district of Sitamarhi on Monday and said people were not satisfied with the relief measures taken by the state government.

Earlier, Nitish had been in the firing range of the BJP for not visiting sites such as Gandaman village in Chhapra district, where around two dozen children died owing to food poisoning in 2013. "However, during natural calamities, Nitish comes out with flying colours. He has been visible in the natural calamities of storm and earthquakes. In 2008, when the Kosi deluge took place, he camped for a long period in the affected districts," said another BJP leader.

Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday said: "The situation in storm and earthquake hit districts is very serious, particularly in rural areas, where people take shelter on roads and cry for help. But there is nobody to help them. If the Bihar government sends a report about the damages, the Centre would consider the state government's report declaring storm and earthquake in Bihar as national disasters."

Paswan, who is head of LJP, an ally of BJP in the NDA, attacked the Nitish Kumar government for its sloppy attitude in assessing and providing relief measures to people affected by the tropical storm and earthquake.

Paswan said: "I visited 10 out of 19 districts affected by storms and earthquake and interacted with district magistrates and other officials but the answers provided by the officials were unsatisfactory. They had no information about loss of life and damage to houses and crops."

Countering Paswan's statement, water resources minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said: "Is there any criteria fixed for declaring national calamity? After the storm hit Bihar, the Prime Minister made a call to chief minister Nitish Kumar. To assess the situation a few days ago, Union home minister Rajnath Singh made an aerial survey of storm-hit districts in the company of chief minister Nitish Kumar. Procedural mechanism reports on natural calamities highlighting the loss of life and property are sent to the Union government. Then what is stopping the Centre from declaring the natural calamities as national disasters?"

Paswan toured different parts of the state extensively after Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally telephoned him. On Monday evening, Paswan would convey Modi about his findings in a meeting on the earthquake."

Sources said if the Union government declares the recent calamities in Bihar as "national disasters", the state would automatically receive Rs 1,000 crore as relief package and later, based on assessment of damages, more funds would be provided.