The Samrat Choudhary-led NDA government in Bihar has dropped the name of late Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi from two prominent institutions in Patna, signalling a shift in priorities from the previous Nitish Kumar administration.
An official release issued after a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday evening said the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park had been renamed Patna Zoo, while the Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Dairy Technology would now be known as the Bihar State Institute of Dairy Technology. The new government, however, refrained from amplifying the move.
The decision, taken at the second cabinet meeting of the newly formed government, comes soon after the BJP assumed the chief minister’s post in the Mandal heartland state for the first time. Choudhary, projected as the BJP’s OBC face, replaced JDU president Nitish earlier this month.
The biological park, established in 1973 as Patna Zoo, was renamed after Sanjay following his death in a plane crash in 1980, when a Congress government led by Jagganath Mishra was in power in the state. Chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Nitish had retained the name despite their political opposition to the Congress and the Emergency. Sanjay had led the controversial coercive sterilisation drive during the 1975-77 Emergency, a policy both leaders had strongly opposed.
The new government, however, stopped short of renaming the institutions after figures associated with the BJP. Sources indicated that such a move could be considered at a later stage after consultations with alliance partners.
The NDA in Bihar comprises five parties, the Nitish-led JDU, LJP (Ram Vilas), HAMS and the RLM. Except for the BJP, the remaining constituents identify themselves as socialists.
Choudhary, who secured a vote of confidence in the Bihar Assembly earlier this month, has underscored continuity in governance, asserting that his administration would follow the model of his predecessor Nitish.
Choudhary had reiterated in the House the party’s “no-compromise” stand on crime, corruption and communalism, indicating that his government would not immediately adopt the hardline Hindutva posture seen in some BJP-ruled states. However, sources said the BJP-led dispensation would seek to leave its distinct imprint on governance over time, proceeding cautiously to avoid unsettling the JDU.
The cabinet also cleared a series of proposals in the road and education sectors. These included approval for ambitious road projects along the Ganga and a plan to establish model schools in every block.
