Senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwary on Friday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for having reportedly stated at a function held in the memory of Sant Kabir that the medieval era mystic-poet "sat together" with Guru Nanak and Sant Gorakhnath though they were not contemporaries.
"In a video of Modi's speech at Maghar in Uttar Pradesh, where he attended a function held in the memory of Kabir yesterday (Thursday), he can be clearly heard saying this is the very place where Sant Kabir, Guru Nanak Dev and Sant Gorakhnath sat together and held discussions on spirituality," Tiwary told reporters.
"Modi should enlighten us as to how that could be possible. Gorakhnath was born in the 11th century, at lease four centuries before the birth of Sant Kabir. Guru Nanak was younger than Kabir by a few decades ... And their meeting is neither a historical fact nor a generally held belief," Tiwary said.
Tiwary said it was "high time" that Modi gave up his "penchant for inventing historical events".
"Given his stature now, Modi should realise that such goof-ups on his part are an embarrassment to the entire country. If Modi feels such a strong urge to delve into history during his speeches, he should at least get the facts checked," the RJD leader said.
It would be better if Modi worked on his promises, which were turning out to be "empty talk".
"Modi had claimed that demonetisation would flush out black money and deprive Naxalites and terrorists of their funding. Naxalism and terrorism continue unabated, while the sharp rise in deposits in Swiss banks from India indicate that there has been no curb on black money either," Tiwary alleged.
Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi tweeted that the entire money deposited by Indians in Swiss banks cannot be termed illegal.
"The facts would soon come out," he said.