Union Minister Giriraj Singh was rebuked today by BJP Chief Amit Shah as well as ally Nitish Kumar over his provocative Tweet wondering why they don't celebrate Navratri with as much verve as Iftar. Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, is already upset with the BJP after being denied more than one cabinet spot in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Amit Shah called Giriraj Singh and asked him to refrain from making such controversial statements.

"Giriraj Singh makes such remarks deliberately, so that you (media) make news out of it," Nitish Kumar said in response to the minister's tweet.

The minister's party colleague Sushil Modi had a sharper response. "I don't know what he tweeted. Let me say, I am proud to be a Hindu. I take part in Holi programs too, not just Iftar. I have been a part of Iftar celebrations for 25 years. People who never hosted a Holi Milan party are raising questions today," remarked the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister.

In the tweet posted this morning, Giriraj Singh appeared to take a swipe at Sushil Modi as well as BJP's allies Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan, who are seen smiling in group photos at an Iftar party. "How beautiful would this picture have been if a Navratri meal would have been organised with the same eagerness. Why do we hold back on our own faith and get into pretence," Mr Singh wrote in Hindi.