Suggestion to name JD(U) after Nitish kicks off debate in Bihar
Nitish Nagar, Nitishpur and now JD-Nitish, different strokes by different folks; Sanjay Jha says it will be apt to name the party after Nitish Kumar
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Patna — Janata Dal (United) working president and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Jha's statement that the party should be named after former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has triggered a debate in Bihar's volatile politics about the timing of his remark.
Jha's statement to name the party Janata Dal (Nitish) came at a time when there is another demand to change Bakhtiarpur's name to Nitishpur. Bihar minister and HAM-S leader Santosh Kumar Suman had raised the demand.
Earlier this year, Pataliputra University (PPU) Senate had approved the proposal for naming of the new campus of the university in Bakhtiarpur as "Nitish Nagar". Bakhtiarpur is the birthplace of Nitish Kumar.
Jha said that he first said about naming the party after Nitish Kumar at Begusarai and then at Khagaria as part of the ongoing "Nitish Samvad" programme to create awareness regarding the ill-effects of Farakka (Ganga) Water Treaty, which is set to expire in December, and the protection of Bihar's water rights.
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Former Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha during a party event in New Delhi. HTFILE the state with JD(U) state presitransition phase. Nitish Kumar's dent Umesh Kushwaha and the _ tireless efforts to pull Bihar out kind of respect people cutting — of the quagmire it had landed in across caste and creed have for _ prior to 2005 will remain a guidNitish Kumar even without _ ing force for the party for generbeing the CM is unmatched. ations tocome," he added. They still relate him with Bihar's On speculations that his transformational journey, which — remarks might be to quell likely has been a force behind the — dissension within the party, he JD(U) emerging as a pivot of _ said it wasall wild speculations. Bihar politics and the response "The party is on a high now after made me say what I said," he a dip in 2020 and one man who added. has been behind it is Nitish
He said that it is the legacy of | Kumar. People vote on his work Nitish Kumar that needs to be _ and face. There is neither room protected. "His legacy is what nor any reason for dissension," will be the strength and the he added. But then, naming or inspiration for the party tomove —_ remaining a political party is from here to take it through the —_ nothing new in Indian politics.
SERS PENVUEN CL) ld Ghuv Pees of transition over the decades since 1994, which took the shape of JD(U) in 2003 with the merger of Sharad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan.
Jha said that Nitish Kumar's role in resurrection of the party and Bihar's rise is undeniable. It is Nitish Kumar's image that matters in Bihar due to the kind of work he has done. He is the main capital of the party," he added.
RJD spokesman Ejya Yadav what Sanjay Jha has said is a classic case of buttering to get something more in politics, which can come only through Nitish Kumar.
However, JD(U) leader and minister Madan Sahni backed Jha. "l appreciate his sentiments. It is a fact that the identity of JD(U) is due to Nitish Kumar and naming the party after him will be apt at this crucial juncture," he added.
Some party leaders, however, said that Nitish Kumar's son Nitish Kumar now joining active politics and working as a minister, with prospect of further elevation in future, it was important to give him the political baton with a strong legacy that the people of Bihar could relate to.
About the Author
Arun Kumar is a veteran journalist and Associate Editor with Hindustan Times, based in Patna. For more than three and a half decades, his reporting has chronicled Bihar's complex political landscape, university and educational reforms, landmark judicial rulings of the Patna High Court, administrative governance, and social shifts across the state. Known for deep investigative reporting and source-grounded accountability journalism, he is a recipient of the prestigious K.C. Kulish Journalism Award and the Keshav Bhatt Journalism Award, and is an LDM Fellow.