The newly constructed six-lane Kachi Dargah–Bidupur bridge is being named ‘Nitish Setu’ to honour former CM Nitish Kumar. The decision has sparked political debate regarding the timing of such honours for a living leader.
Bihar Infrastructure Project Named Nitish Setu Honours Nitish Kumar
Patna (Bihar) [India], November 15 (ANI): Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Sunday asserted that the infrastructure project ‘Nitish Setu’ is deeply tied to the vision and legacy of former Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar. “It was conceptualised by Nitish Kumar in 2012. DPR started being prepared in 2012 itself and before the 2015 elections, its foundation stone was laid. So, with a consensus, this has been named as such in his honour,” he said. Earlier, Choudhary announced that the 19.76-kilometre-long six-lane corridor connecting Patna and Vaishali districts, scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 21, would be named in honour of the JD(U) chief.
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha raised questions regarding the timing and political haste of such honours, highlighting that trains have been named after a living person. He also pointed out that the relationship Nitish Kumar shares with Lalu Prasad Yadav and the party is something BJP will never attain, even if it remains in power for the next five decades. “Do not view this merely as a political statement from him (Tejashwi Yadav). He has worked with Nitish Kumar, and the relationships Nitish ji shares with Lalu ji and our party are such that even if the BJP remains in power for 50 years, it will not have those relationships,” he said.
He added, “What surprises me is that, in recent years, a stadium has been named after a person while he is still alive, and trains have also been named after him. There was a tradition of waiting until a person passed away, irrespective of whether they held a position or not. Why have we stopped waiting? What does this haste indicate? History will assess it.”
His remarks came after Yadav on Saturday criticised the ruling National Democratic Alliance government over its decision to name the newly constructed six-lane Kachi Dargah–Bidupur Ganga bridge ‘Nitish Setu’ after former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, alleging that the move signals the end of the veteran leader’s active political relevance. Speaking to ANI, he said, “It is their government; they can name it whatever they please. They may have named it ‘Nitish Setu’, but in a way, they have also finished off Nitish Kumar. Usually, such names are given—or statues are erected—in memory of those who are no longer with us. Yet, in this case, the naming has been done while he is still alive. It is as if they are sending a message that, politically, Nitish Kumar is already finished.”
Naming the Kachi Dargah–Bidupur six-lane bridge ‘Nitish Setu’ marks the first time a landmark public infrastructure project in Bihar has been officially named after him, occurring after he stepped down as Chief Minister. During his governance, major bridges, highways, and welfare programmes in Bihar were almost exclusively named after national freedom fighters, social reformers, and socialist leaders—such as Jayaprakash Narayan (JP Setu/Loknayak Ganga Path), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Atal Path), Karpoori Thakur, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad—or given descriptive functional titles like Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana and Saat Nischay. (ANI)