Patna, Jan 6 (IANS): Amid sour political relation between the Janata Dal - United (JD-U) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), JD-U MLA of Gopalpur in Bhagalpur district Narendra Kumar Neeraj, popularly known as Gopal Mandal, created a controversy as he said that the BJP candidate lost the Bhagalpur seat because of him.

Attending the music event in Gopalpur to celebrate his poll victory, Mandal said the BJP candidate from Bhagalpur, Rohit Pandey, lost the polls since he didn't campaign for him.

"During the rally of PM Narendra Modi, I was present at the dais but Pandey ignored me. He didn't even followed the political protocol. So, I also avoided him during his campaign in his constituency," Mandal said.

Mandal alleged that Pandey ignored him during the PM's rally as he belongs to the backward caste.

The political relations between the JD-U and the BJP have soured after the latter had included six out of seven MLAs of JD-U in its party in Arunachal Pradesh. The statement of Mandal has added fuel to the fire.

BJP chief spokesperson Nikhil Anand told IANS, "The statement of Gopal Mandal is highly unacceptable and it is reflecting his casteist mindset to create division in society. Those who do politics over social justice are right but creating a division in society on the name of social justice is highly unfortunate. He should avoid it."