Patna: The campaign by top JD(U) functionaries to rename the party after former CM Nitish Kumar gained further momentum on Sunday, with state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha endorsing the proposal on social media, barely a day after describing national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha’s suggestion as his “personal opinion”.Top JD(U) functionaries have proposed renaming the party “JD-Nitish” in recognition of Nitish Kumar’s contribution to the party and Bihar. They have also described him as Bihar’s “Vishwakarma” (creator). Nitish stepped down as CM in April this year after remaining in the post for over 20 years.“JD(U) means Nitish Kumar,” Kushwaha posted on social media on Sunday. He said the sentiment expressed by Jha during the ‘Nitish dialogue on Farakka Water Treaty’ programme in Khagaria, suggesting that Nitish Kumar’s name be linked with the party, reflected the “innermost feelings of every JD(U) worker”.Describing Nitish as the party’s “greatest asset”, Kushwaha said JD(U) had been nurtured through his “tireless hard work, struggle, and blood and sweat”. “The loyalty, reverence, and trust of the party workers towards Nitish is unshakable. We all stand with full resolve alongside the national working president in this sentiment,” he said, adding, “There is no question of any ifs or buts in this matter.”Kushwaha’s endorsement came a day after he had described Jha’s suggestion to rename JD(U) as his “personal opinion”. “Our party national working president’s observation about renaming the JD(U) is his personal opinion… Hamare neta kaam mein vishwas rakhte hain (Our party functionaries believe in work),” Kushwaha was heard saying in a social media video on Saturday.The proposal to rename JD(U) gained momentum after Jha was heard saying in a viral video that the party owed its standing to Nitish and that its ideology was based on his political philosophy. “We should therefore consider renaming the party as JD-U-Nitish,” Jha was heard saying in the clip.Earlier this week, at least two senior JD(U) functionaries had backed Jha’s proposal while interacting with the media. “The party will seriously consider this issue,” deputy CM and minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav told reporters on Friday, adding that Nitish had transformed the face of Bihar. Rural development minister Shrawan Kumar said, “We all are associated with the JD(U) just because of Nitish Kumar. We are all almost unanimous on renaming JD(U) as JD-Nitish.”JD(U) came into being in 2003 following the merger of the then Sharad Yadav-led Janata Dal (United) with the Samata Party. Nitish, now a Rajya Sabha member, is currently the party’s national president.
