Nitish govt names college after Shatrughan's father

Patna, Aug 19: In signs of growing proximity between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, the state government has named a college after the father of the BJP MP.

The decision to name the Government College of Health and Physical Education, Patna, after late B P Sinha was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet last night.

The college has been rechristened as 'B P Sinha Government College of Health and Physical Education', an official statement said.

The decision assumes significance considering the fact that a proposal to this effect was lying with the Art, Culture and Youth Affairs department since 2009-10 when BJP was part of Nitish Kumar government and the minister of the department was from the saffron party. Sinha expressed gratitude towards the state government for naming the college after his father.

"I personally thank Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for this," he told PTI over phone from Mumbai and noted that his father had been the founding Principal of the college from 1951-59 and had groomed the institution.

"Unfortunately our own people could not understand or pursue the matter... either because of lack of understanding or might be insecurity because of my popularity," Sinha said.

When asked about his absence from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies in the state, he said "I attend a function only when invited. At launch of several projects at Veterinary college by the PM on July 25, I was present."

"But, since I have not been invited, because of some people of my own party, in all three rallies at Muzaffarpur, Gaya and Saharsa, I did not go," Sinha, who has been BJP's star campaigner for long and who also served as cabinet minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA ministry, said.

PTI