Patna, Aug 31 (IANS): The political temperature in Bihar heated up after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was declared as a Prime Ministerial material in a national council meeting of the Janata Dal (United) here on Monday.

The BJP sharply reacted to this and said that the leaders of JD(U) are giving such statements so that Nitish Kumar feels like he is on the top, while the reality is quite far from it.

"The JD(U) leaders are branding him as PM material, but why should others do? They have not borrowed money from him," BJP MLC Nawal Kishore Yadav said.

"A person qualified for the post of Prime Minister and projecting a leader as the PM candidate are two different things. Narendra Modi is the PM of India and he will remain the PM until people of the country vote against him," he said.

On Sunday, Upendra Kushwaha at a national council meeting said that Nitish Kumar has all the ability and qualification to become the Prime Minister of the country. Kushwaha also said that JD(U) will start "Mission Nitish" in the country.

K.C. Tyagi, the national general secretary of JD(U), said: "The idea is to expand the party in other states. It is necessary to expand the Nitish model across the country. He has done well in Bihar and many states have followed his policies."

Madan Mohan Jha, the chief of the Bihar Congress unit, said: "If Nitish Kumar is dreaming about the post of Prime Minister, he should leave the NDA. He should challenge Narendra Modi, like our leader Rahul Gandhi.

"Nitish Kumar should point out the wrong policies of the Narendra Modi government. I believe there is huge internal dispute in the NDA. Hence, every alliance partner is taking a different path. They believe that the BJP will not win the 2024 parliamentary elections."