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Patna:  Nitish Kumar has in an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, challenged him to withdraw comments he made about the Bihar Chief Minister’s "DNA" at a recent election rally  in the state.

 He has taken the battle to PM Modi’s turf, releasing the letter this morning on Twitter, the social media site that he joined only recently and where PM Modi is the third most followed leader in the world.

PM Modi had said at a rally in Bihar last month that Nitish Kumar "not only disrespected me but also disrespected a Mahadalit like Jitan Ram Manjhi... There seems to be some problem in his DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy, you give respect even to your political rivals."

 "The issue has been troubling many of us since then," writes Mr Kumar, addressing the PM as "Respected Modiji." He has attacked the PM’s comment as "unbecoming of the office you hold," and warned that "it weakens the collective faith of people in your leadership."

"I am a son of Bihar. My DNA is the similar as that of the people of Bihar... I grew up in a humble household in rural Bihar... Most of us feel that these statements, beyond questioning my own descent, have disrespected the lineage of our people and have denigrated the great legacy of the state," the Chief Minister writes.

 Mr Kumar is expected to feature the "insult to Bihar" as a key part of his election campaign against Mr Modi’s BJP in the assembly elections due by October this year.

 Nitish Kumar’s campaign team says the PM’s "DNA" comment is their "chaiwallah" moment, a reference to Mr Modi turning Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s comment on his humble origins as a tea seller into one of his most successful campaigns for the national election that he swept last year.

 Mr Kumar’s chief campaign strategist is Prashant Kishor, who is credited with designing PM Modi’s famous "Chai pe Charcha" campaign.