Congress president Sonia Gandhi invited, Nitish Kumar

Patna –  Nitish Kumar is furious at not being invited to the inauguration of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)’s branch in Bihar, an event in which Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been invited to do the honours.

“It is highly objectionable to leave out the state government. It was my idea to set up the university’s branch in Kishenganj. We gave the entire land free of cost to the university and the Centre didn’t invite us,” the Chief Minister said on Tuesday, intensifying an ugly battle for credit between the Congress and the state’s ruling Janata Dal United over the prestigious university.

“It shows the UPA government’s work culture and nature,” Mr Kumar raged.

The union Human Resource Development Ministry has extended no invitation to the state government for the event on Thursday, when Sonia Gandhi will formally launch the university’s branch in Kishanganj, a Congress constituency with a predominantly Muslim population. The Bihar government has written to the Centre protesting against what it calls “a deliberate attempt to ignore” them.

Nitish Kumar’s party says their government made available over 224 acres of land for the university.

“It’s been three years since land was given for AMU but the Congress is having this foundation-laying event just before the election though its government at the Centre is not releasing funds for it,” said Janata Dal United leader Master Muheed Alam.

Kishanganj’s Congress MP Mohammad Asrarul Haque denies it, saying the Centre fast-tracked the project.