Patna, Jan. 16: The ruling JDU today attacked the BJP over their claim of booking SK Memorial Hall for organising the birth anniversary of former chief minister Karpoori Thakur.

The JDU leaders countered the BJP's claim and said that they were the first who booked the hall for the function scheduled on January 24.

Yesterday, state BJP president Mangal Pandey said the party would move court if it was denied the facility for the function. The BJP leader had also alleged that Patna commissioner's office, which administers the affairs of the SK Memorial Hall, had intentionally cancelled their booking on the instruction of chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Three JDU spokespersons - Niraj Kumar, Sanjay Kumar Singh and Ajay Alok - met the media today to clear doubts. The JDU leaders also distributed the letter from commissioner's office signed by regional programme officer Dhirendra Kumar Mishra stating that the committee cannot book the hall for the BJP on January 24 as the JDU had already sent the booking application for the same date in February last year.

The signed letter also say that after sending the application, the JDU deposited the demand draft of Punjab National Bank on November 1, 2015, while the BJP deposited the demand draft on November 24, 2015, soon after submitting the application to book the hall in the first week of November.

"We are here to show the proof that the JDU was first to book the hall for January 24, not the BJP. We are wondering that how come the BJP has started showing respect to Karpoori ji to whom the BJP was always critical," said Sanjay.

Mangal said: "We will celebrate his birth anniversary in the hall only.Why did committee accept our demand draft if the hall had already been booked on the same date?"

Divisional commissioner Anand Kishore said: "I will look into the matter."