Deputy chief minister Tejaswi on Monday said senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi never raises issues concerning people, and would always remain "chief minister in waiting".

Tejaswi's comment came a day after Sushil said that freedom of expression was not being upheld in the Nitish Kumar government as the Bhojpuri film Deswa was not allowed to be screened during the recently concluded Patna Film Festival.

The BJP leader had alleged that the film was blocked because of pressure from Lalu Prasad's minister sons Tej Pratap and Tejaswi because it deals with the Lalu-Rabri Devi regime in 2003.

"He (Sushil) never raises issues related to people and just for sake of appearing in newspapers he keeps on raising meaningless issues," Tejaswi said after offering flowers to the statue of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati on his birth anniversary. "He always wanted to become CM but I must tell him that he will always remain CM-in-waiting."

Whether or not to screen a movie is the prerogative of the committee responsible for holding the film festival, Tejaswi said. "Just because (Sushil) Modiji likes some film, it does not mean that it would be showed to the public as well. If tomorrow he says that he likes a C-grade movie, does that mean that it would screened in the film festival," the deputy chief minister asked. "If he is really worried about the film fraternity, why does not he solve the Gajendra Chauhan issue by holding talks with the Centre."

"I want to ask Modi ji why he does not want to screen films on Godhra riots to educate people? I think it is not good to play politics all the time," Tejaswi said.

"To be in news and in the media, Modi ji can make any wild allegations against us because his party is not able to digest the huge mandate people have given to the Grand Alliance," said Tejaswi.