Nitish rubbishes Patna name change

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday rubbished rival Lalu8217;s Prasad Yadav8217;s demand to rechristen Patna Azimabad and called it yet another gimmick by the RJD leader.

8220;It is a nonsensical demand. Lalu is known for raising such non-serious issues instead of being concerned about people8217;s welfare,8221; Kumar said, when asked about the issue. He slammed the RJD chief8217;s demand and asked that if Lalu was so much concerned about renaming Patna Azimabad, then why did he not do the needful during his 15-year-long reign in the state?

8220;Actually, for 15 years, he did nothing for people8217;s welfare, keeping them entangled in such nonsensical issues. But people are not ready to take it any longer. They have stopped taking him seriously,8221; the Chief Minister remarked.

Kumar also came down heavily on Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh for using 8220;unparliamentary8221; language over the issue of relocating the ashes of Lord Buddha from Patna to Vaishali8212;the rural development minister8217;s constituency.