No 'Nitishpur'? JD(U) sidesteps NDA partner's proposal to rename Nitish Kumar's birthplace

NEW DELHI: JD(U) on Thursday appeared to distance itself from an alliance partner’s proposal to rename Bakhtiyarpur, the birthplace of former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, as “Nitishpur”.JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, when asked about the proposal by Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) president Santosh Kumar Suman, said Kumar had never favoured renaming places.“My party and I thank him (Suman) for expressing such a sentiment. But Nitish Kumar has always let his work speak on his behalf. He has never believed in renaming places,” news agency PTI quoted JD(U) working president as saying.Jha, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, said changing the town’s name would not alter its history. “Let us bear in mind that merely changing the name of the place will not erase from history the fact that Bakhtiyar Khilji had invaded the land and set Nalanda, the ancient seat of learning, on fire”.“We, however, take pride in the fact that it was our leader’s efforts that resulted in a modern, international university being set up in Nalanda. I recall late CPI(M) stalwart Sitaram Yechury having pointed out the glorious coincidence in Parliament that a son of Bakhtiyarpur was reviving the glory of Nalanda, eight centuries after it was ravaged by Bakhtiyar Khilji,” he added.Suman, a minister and HAM president, had proposed the renaming in a post on X on Wednesday, saying Kumar’s “life journey, struggles, and countless memories” were linked to Bakhtiyarpur.“Honouring the birthplace of such a mass leader—who paved a new path for Bihar in development, good governance, and social transformation—with his name will not just be a change of a place's name; it will be an act of respect to the pride of that soil, its history, and the public sentiments connected to it," he said.The proposal drew a sharp reaction from the RJD, with MLA Bhai Virendra mocking the suggestion. “It is preposterous to suggest that Bakhtiyarpur should be named after Nitish Kumar. It appears that the next suggestion from BJP allies would be to name the country after Narendra Modi,” he said.Nitish Kumar, 75, is the JD(U)’s national president and Bihar’s longest-serving chief minister. He stepped down as chief minister in April before being elected to the Rajya Sabha.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.