Nitish slams poll surveys showing BJP's surge in LS polls

The Chief Minister for the first time said that it was his erstwhile deputy Sushil Kumar Modi who had asked him to meet Gadkari for assurance that the Gujarat Chief Minister would not be promoted as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate so as to keep the alliance in Bihar going.

But these top BJP leaders not only failed to keep their words to him, but sent message that they had failed in their endeavour to stop Modi's stride in the party, Kumar said.

He said once he saw the writing on the wall he was left with no option but to part ways with the then ally even though the state BJP leaders did not want the alliance to collapse in Bihar.

He said that he was steadfast in opposing the rise of a "controversial and divisive" person (Modi) as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate and wanted the erstwhile ally to select a candidate who believed in inclusive growth and cared for development of backward states, besides was a believer in secular ethos, but it was not to be.

The Chief Minister also took potshot at another political archrival - the RJD - for pressurizing the UPA government to stall the process for grant of special status to Bihar for political expediency.