Kushwaha criticizes comparison between Ashoka and Aurangzeb

Patna, Jan 17 (UNI) Senior JD(U) leader Upendra Kushwaha on Monday slammed writer Daya Prakash Sinha for drawing parallel between the great emperor Ashoka and Mughal king Aurangzeb and also asked BJP to clear their stand over it.
Within hours of state BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal advising JD(U) leaders to maintain cordial relation between the two parties and not to target BJP or Prime Minister Narendra Modi on any issue, chairman of JD(U) parliamentary board Upendra Kushwaha specifically asked BJP whether it supported the demand for withdrawal of all felicitations including Padmashree award conferred on writer Daya Prakash Sinha for his remark comparing Ashoka with Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.
Comparing Ashoka with Aurangzeb, was blatant distortions in history which could never be tolerated by JD(U), he stressed.
Kushwaha, in his letter to Jaiswal, pointed out that it was good advice from him to run coalition government smoothly in larger interest of people of Bihar but JD(U) could not agree with BJP in demeaning the achievements of great emperor like Ashoka. BJP could not treat as end the chapter of controversies over comparing Ashoka with Aurangzeb by merely lodging an FIR against writer Daya Prakash Sinha, he noted.
JD(U) leader said that withdrawal of felicitations including Padmashree award conferred on any person, was not in domain of Bihar government. First BJP should make its stand clear whether it supported the demand of felicitations conferred on writer Daya Prakash, only then it could be decided when and before whom, either PM or President, the demand would be placed, he maintained.