DNA samples swamp India PM in protest

• 16 September 2015
• From the section India

Tens of thousands of people from Bihar in eastern India have sent DNA samples to PM Narendra Modi, accusing him of insulting people from the state.

Officials say Mr Modi’s office received dozens of mail bags containing nail clippings and hair in the past week.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar says Mr Modi hurt the pride of Biharis by casting aspersions on him.

Last month Mr Modi said Mr Kumar’s move to sever electoral ties meant something was wrong with his “political DNA”.

Mr Kumar said the comment implied that the DNA of the people of Bihar was poor. He said they would send five million DNA samples to Mr Modi in protest.

Mr Modi receives two-to-three mail bags every day, said the head of Delhi’s postal services. Each bag typically contains about 1,000 letters.

But, according to a postal department official, they have delivered 47 bags to the prime minister’s office in the last few days.

Many are marked with the Hindi words “shabd wapsi” – “take your words back” – and contain letters with hair strands and nails.

An official from Mr Kumar’s Janata Dal United (JDU) party in Bihar says 600,000 DNA samples have already been sent to the PM’s office.

He said his office in the state capital, Patna, had so far received 1.5 million samples and was working to reach the target of five million samples.