NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Sunday took a jibe at Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar amid a growing push to honour him with the country’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.RJD MP Sudhakar Singh said that despite being ill, Nitish Kumar has served as Bihar’s chief minister for 20 years, which makes him worthy of an honour.“Nitish Kumar is undoubtedly a ‘Ratna’. There is no doubt about that. But I cannot say which one,” the RJD MP said.“Running a government for 20 years while being ill proves that he is a ‘Ratna’,” he added.This comes after Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Chirag Paswan demanded Bharat Ratna for Nitish, asserting that he is a leader who has provided “exemplary governance” to the state over the past two decades.Taking to X, former Bihar CM and key NDA leader Jitan Ram Manjhi wrote in Hindi, which roughly translates to: “Bharat Ratna Nitish Kumar Ji… How wonderful it would sound to hear those words, wouldn’t it? We have complete faith that the esteemed Prime Minister Ji, known for stunning everyone with his decisions, will once again leave the nation in awe by deciding to bestow the Bharat Ratna upon Bihar’s esteemed chief minister Nitish Kumar Ji. Bharat Ratna Nitish Kumar…”Earlier, JD(U) leader KC Tyagi also demanded Bharat Ratna for the Bihar CM “while he is still alive”“PM Narendra Modi had conferred Bharat Ratna on late Chaudhary Charan Singh and late Karpoori Thakur. We extend our gratitude. Nitish Kumar is one of the most fantastic leaders associated with the socialist movement who is still alive. He is one of the founders of NDA. He is ‘sushasan babu’. We have urged that he too should be awarded the Bharat Ratna while he is still alive,” Tyagi said.In a letter to the prime minister on Thursday, the former Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] MP also said that Nitish, who is a “precious gem” of the socialist movement, is worthy of the highest civilian honour.“March 30, 2024 was a day to honour our ancestors. Thanks to your efforts, they were bestowed with the highest honour, the ‘Bharat Ratna’,” Tyagi said.