Now, JD(U) working president calls for party to be renamed ‘Janata Dal-Nitish’

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National Working President and MP Sanjay Kumar Jha addresses a press conference regarding the Farakka Water Treaty, in Patna. File | Photo Credit: ANI

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) alliance partner Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader Santosh Kumar Suman first demanded that the place Bakhtiyarpur, “birthplace” of JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, be renamed as “Nitishpur” and, then party working president Sanjay Kumar Jha has urged that party be renamed as “Janata Dal-Nitish”, instead of “Janata Dal (United)”.

While eulogising the contributions of former Bihar Chief Minister and party chief Nitish Kumar for the growth and development of Bihar and the party as well, Mr. Jha, while addressing a public dialogue on “Nitish Samvad on Farakka Water Treaty” at Sharda Farm House in Khagaria on September 9, urged state party leaders, including state party president Umesh Kushwaha and others, “the time has come that the party should be renamed as Janata Dal-Nitish, instead of Janata Dal-United.”  

Mr. Jha, later posted a video clip of his over 27-minute speech at the programme in a post on social media in which he is heard eulogizing party leader Nitish Kumar’s contribution towards the state and the party. “Now, I would say that the time has come to rename the party as Janata Dal-Nitish, instead of Janata Dal (United).”, he said at 15:40 minutes in the video clip posted on his social media account X while, looking towards party leaders sitting on the dais, including state JD(U) chief Umesh Kushwaha.

Mr. Jha also recalled what was Bihar before 2005 and thereafter when Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister of the State. “Now people call Biharis with pride, and Bihar has been progressing along with the party’s growth…I’ve never seen such a towering leader with such a chequered political career, years both in Bihar and at the center”, said the national working president of the party, Sanjay Kumar Jha, who is also party’s Rajya Sabha member.

Earlier, the ruling NDA alliance partner Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) president and minister for Minor Water Irrigation in chief minister Samrat Choudhary’s cabinet, Santosh Kumar Suman had demanded that the place “Bakhtiyarpur” be renamed as “Nitishpur”. Mr Suman, who is son of union minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, urged CM Mr. Choudhary to rename the town which is also the “birthplace of Mr (Nitish) Kumar”.

“Bakhtiyarpur is not merely a geographical identity. It is the birthplace of a great mass leader who, through his long public life, gave a new direction to Bihar’s politics, development and governance. The life journey, struggles and countless memories of Nitish Kumar ji are tied to this land and with this very sentiment. I place before the chief minister, Samrat Choudhary, the proposal to rename Bakhtiyarpur as Nitishpur”, he said in a post on his social media account on X.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal took a jibe over JD(U) leaders’ demand and said, “They’re only following the BJP ideology, which believes in name-changing politics. BJP believes in name-changing politics and the JD(U) leaders are just following the footsteps of the saffron party”, alleged RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmed.

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Earlier in 2021, the then BJP leader and party MLA from Bisfi constituency in Madhubani district, Haribhushan Thakur, too had demanded that “Bakhtiyarpur be renamed as Nitish Nagar”. However, the then chief minister Nitish Kumar had rejected Thakur’s demand, quipping it all as “faltu baat”.

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