Rohini Acharya has raised questions on naming the Kachchi Dargah-Bidupur bridge as Nitish Setu. He has demanded to name the Social Justice Bridge in the name of Lalu Yadav.
Photo Credit / Attribution: Google
A political controversy has started in Bihar regarding the naming of Kachchi Dargah-Raghopur-Bidupur six-lane Ganga bridge. Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has announced to name this bridge 'Nitish Setu' after former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate this bridge and dedicate it to the nation during his visit to Bihar on November 21. However, even before the inauguration, political rhetoric regarding the name of the bridge has intensified. Rohini Acharya, daughter of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, has raised questions on the government's decision and demanded changing the name of the bridge.
Rohini Acharya, while sharing the post on social media, said that Raghopur bridge should either be named 'Social Justice Bridge' or it should be named after her father Lalu Prasad Yadav. He claimed that Lalu Yadav had made continuous efforts for the development of Raghopur Diara area and connecting this area with the mainstream. According to him, Lalu Yadav has played an important role in taking forward the bridge construction plan and strengthening the foundation of the development of the area.
Rohini Acharya said in her statement that it is regrettable to give the credit for the construction of the historic Raghopur bridge to others. Linking the naming decision to taking political credit, he raised the question that it is not appropriate to decide the name of a public project only for political gains. He said that the people of Raghopur want the bridge to be named after Samajik Nyay Setu or Lalu Prasad Yadav.
In fact, Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary had announced on November 13 that the six-lane bridge built on the Ganga river from Kachchi Dargah in Patna to Bidupur in Vaishali will be named Nitish Setu. According to the state government, this name has been kept to honor the development work of former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Bihar and his contribution to this project.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate this bridge on November 21. This 19.3 kilometer long bridge will improve connectivity between Patna and Vaishali. With its commencement, traffic between North and South Bihar is expected to become easier. Especially the people of Raghopur Diara area will get great convenience in reaching the capital Patna.
Now different reactions are emerging among political parties and leaders regarding the naming of the bridge. On one hand, the government has decided to name the bridge after Nitish Kumar, while on the other hand, Rohini Acharya has raised the demand for an alternative name citing the contribution of Lalu Yadav. In such a situation, the naming of Nitish Setu before the inauguration of the Prime Minister has become a topic of discussion in the politics of Bihar.