Patna,(BiharTimes): Reiterating his party’s stand on Article 370 Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday strongly criticized BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, and accused him and the saffron party of trying to divide the country over “well-accepted special status,” of Jammu and Kashmir.

Himself a champion of more autonomy to states Nitish said the Janata Dal(United) has always defended Article 370 of the Constitution and said that it has a special significance. There is no need to remove it from Jammu and Kashmir, which has got a well-accepted special status.

He said by raising the issue of Article 370 afresh, the BJP was making an effort to draw a line of division among the people of the country with an eye on the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
It needs to be recalled that one of the JD(U)’s primary conditions to join the NDA in 1996 was that the BJP would not raise contentious issues like Article 370, Uniform Civil Code etc. The saffron party maintained this policy as almost all other regional parties supporting it had similar stand on the issue.
The Bihar chief minister also criticized the BJP for holding a workshop in Patna on Sunday on building statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat.

He said Sardar Patel is a hero of country’s freedom struggle. He has been idolized for his contributions. Of late some people are remembering him for some special purpose.