Nishant Kumar Makes Party Debut at JD(U) Orientation, Invokes Nitish Legacy
Nishant Kumar's first address to JD(U) legislators at a Patna orientation programme signals a possible generational shift in the party.
The Janata Dal (United)'s day-long orientation programme in Patna on Friday became the stage for the party's next-generation politics, as Bihar Health Minister Nishant Kumar addressed party legislators for the first time and asked them to take his father Nitish Kumar's record to the people.
Nishant, son of the former chief minister and party chief, told the gathering that workers should speak about what Nitish Kumar has done for Bihar since 2005 and highlight his policies, programmes and governance schemes. He also praised Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary for following what he described as the ideals and governance model of his predecessor, and urged party workers to do the same.
The health minister further advised legislators to gather feedback from the public and bring any concerns of the people and party workers to the attention of the party leadership.
The event, organised to train legislators in legislative practices and procedures, drew several senior leaders, including deputy chief ministers Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Vijay Kumar Choudhary, and JD(U) legislature party leader and minister Shravan Kumar. Nitish Kumar inaugurated the function but left soon after the ceremonial lamp lighting.
Besides Nishant, only JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha addressed the gathering. Union minister and former JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, was conspicuously absent, a point several legislators raised in unofficial remarks.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Jha said the discussions covered budget practices, the economy, major road network expansion and improvements in electricity access over the past two decades, along with what remains to be done and best legislative practices from other states. He played down Lalan Singh's absence, noting that the orientation programme was not meant for MPs.
The meeting made no official mention of the Uniform Civil Code. Some leaders, however, said the party should hold to its longstanding position on the issue. One legislator argued that with the Article 370 and Ram Temple matters settled, the party's distinct stand on the UCC is what sets it apart from the BJP's ideology, adding that Nitish Kumar has always ensured social cohesion and that Bihar should avoid anything that could disturb social harmony.
The programme, and Nishant's prominent role in it, was widely read as an indication of how the party's politics could tilt towards him in the near future.