Seen here is Manavjeet Singh Dhillon, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna.
A top leader of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) on Friday asserted that a senior IPS officer's controversial comparison of Islamic extremist organisation PFI with the RSS, which has raised the hackles of ally BJP, was "not a political issue".
JD(U) parliamentary board president Upendra Kushwaha said it was for the higher-ups in the department to decide whether Patna SSP Manavjeet Singh Dhillon deserved any action for having said PFI imparts physical training to its cadres like the RSS does at "shakhas".
"It is not a political issue and we do not have a say in the matter. We cannot comment even on the propriety or lack of it on part of the officer who was speaking about a matter that relates to national security," said Kushwaha, whose non-committal stance is likely to rile the BJP, which has been gunning for Dhillon ever since he made the remarks at a press conference on Thursday.
The JD(U) leader, who is also a former Union minister, was also asked about the BJP's demand for an apology from the officer.
"I do not know if an apology will be a remedy. I reiterate that it is not for us to say or do anything. Let the department concerned mull over the matter. There must be a service code in place. If the officer has done anything wrong, he may face action at the departmental level," said Kushwaha.
The JD(U) leader, who is detested by many in the BJP for his frequent caustic remarks against the ally, was also asked to share his personal opinion as to whether a comparison between a controversial organisation like PFI with the RSS, which has millions of followers, could be justified.
"In this country, we have people speaking irresponsibly about the president, the prime minister and the chief ministers. I think it is of no use to get into such wider issues now," said Kushwaha.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)