Patna, March 3: Prashant Kishor, national vice president of Janata Dal-United, on Sunday apologised after no leader from Bihar's ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) turned up at Patna airport to receive the body of CRPF personnel Pintu Kumar Singh, who lost his life in an anti-terrorist operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara on Friday. Prashant Kishor's apology came hours after the family of the slain jawan lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar ministers for not paying homage.

"We are sorry for the error of judgement on part of those of us who should have been there with you in this hour of grief," election strategist-turned-politician tweeted with a video in which the jawan’s kin complained about neither PM Modi nor Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar being there at the airport to pay homage. According to reports, NDA leaders were busy with the massive Sankalp rally held in Patna where PM Modi delivered a speech.

"He’s gone, he’s a martyr now. But ministers are only concerned about remaining in power. That they did not come to pay homage at the airport shows how concerned they are about the country’s soldiers," the CRPF jawan’s kin can be heard saying in the video clip shared by Kishor.

Prashant Kishor's tweet:

Four security personnel, including Pintu Kumar Singh who hailed from Bihar, were killed when a militant who was presumed to be dead suddenly rose from the debris of a house and fired indiscriminately at the security forces. To receive Pintu Kumar's body, district magistrate Kumar Ravi, senior police officer Garima Mallick, top officers of CRPF, state Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha and Lok Janshakti Party MP Choudhary Mahboob Ali Kaiser were present at the airport.

Kaiser said CM Nitish Kumar should have at least sent a deputy colleague if he was busy with the rally in Patna. On February 16, Kumar, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi and union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had come to the airport to pay their tribute to two CRPF jawans from Bihar who were killed in the Pulwama terror attack.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 03, 2019 11:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).