Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to launch the grand centenary celebrations of Patna University, on 14 Oct in Patna. India’s seventh oldest university standing proudly on the banks of river Ganga completed its 100 glorious years on 1 Oct.
Modi will be visiting Patna on 14 Oct to launch the event along with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. This is the first time that the Prime Minister and the Chief MInister will be sharing the dais together after the new government on an alliance with BJP was formed in Bihar in July. Prior to this, both the leaders had also done the aerial inspection of the flood hit regions in Bihar, after which the Prime Minister had immediately announced a relief fund of Rs 500 crores.
As the Prime Minister visit is scheduled the preparations for the celebrations are at its peak. The PU Vice-Chancellor Rash Bihari Prasad Singh in his statement to the press said that though the university completed its 100 years on 1 Oct, but the day coincided with Dushera and hence the celebrations were postponed. Another reason that he gave to shift the dates to 14 was that it was a grand event for the university and they wanted the Prime Minister to launch the event, he had accepted the invitation but the dates were not finalised as his schedule was very tight.
“The centenary is a big occasion and we wanted its main function to be graced by an august personality. So, we are glad that the Prime Minister is now coming on October 14, to formally launch the grand 100th year celebrations,” PU Vice-Chancellor said.
The people are having high hopes with the visit of Narendra Mod to the region, as many are expecting he might do something for the demand of water management in the area.
Along with launching the event at the Patna University, Modi will also be laying the foundation stone of a bridge over the Ganga near Mokama town.
A Mokama-based person in his statement to the press said that “Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the Mokama area is significant. There is an old demand for water management in Tal area ( a massive land segment that holds flood water till September). I hope the CM will draw the PM’s attention to this demand.”
Significantly, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was questioned to raise the demand for special status for Bihar during Modi’s visit, he did not seem to give a specific reply to that. Nitish Kumar has been rigorously fighting to get the special category status for Bihar from past 10 years. However, the fact did not go unnoticed that the Chief Minister has not once raised the demand since the Bohar government dumped RJD-Congress mahagathbandhan and formed an alliance with BJP.
It seems like Kumar has had a change of heart, as when two days back he was questioned about one of his JD(U) member saying that the party was ready to compromise on the special category status demand, he did not deny the possibility.
Compromising with the demand for which Kumar has been fighting for 10 years came as a bit of surprise for everyone, even the party workers. Nitish had done everything from launching campaigns to taking out rallies deaning special category status. He had also said that Bihar will take at least 25 years to touch the national average of economic growth if the special category status was not accorded to it. But his sudden silence over the demand has left everyone wondering about the major game plan behind it.
Nitish in a statement to the press said that the demand for the status will not be brought up during the visit of Modi.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha expressed dismay on not being invited to the centenary celebrations of Patna University. Shatrughan Sinha is an alumni of the Patna University, which falls under his parliamentary constituency, said that his name was not included on the guest list.
“I am very emotionally attached to my alma mater. I am pained over being denied invitation on such an occasion,” Shatrughan Sinha told.
He also said that BJP leader Yashwant Sinha and RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav, who were the students of the university were also not given the invitation. “I spoke to the two and they also expressed shock over not being invited to the function on October 14 at Patna,” Shatrughan Sinha, said. Replying to a question by the press reporters, Sinha admitted that it is quite possible that he was ruled out of the invitation due to his comments contrary to the party line.
Though the university authorities have assured that the printing of the invitations got delayed and hence was not sent to the leaders, but they were very much on the guest list. The vice chancellor also added that the university is also going to organise a mega event as part of PU centenary celebrations on December 10 in which all former students of the university would be invited.