Carrying forward a tradition followed by his father, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar‘s son Nishant on Saturday visited the historical Gandhi Maidan here to join thousands of people in offering namaz on the occasion of Eid.
Kumar, who is likely to step down soon following election to the Rajya Sabha, did not turn up at the Gandhi Maidan, where the namaz was offered by people braving the morning drizzle, visited many ‘khanqahs’, Sufi monasteries, in the city to exchange Eid greetings with community leaders and partake of delicacies prepared on the festive occasion.
At Gandhi Maidan, the ‘namazis’ gave a warm welcome to Nishant, a 44-year-old recluse who agreed to enter politics recently and joined the JD(U), headed by his father, a fortnight ago.
A man of few words, Nishant, when approached by reporters at Gandhi Maidan, said, “I extend heartiest Eid greetings to the people of Bihar and the entire country on behalf of honourable Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. May Allah bestow his benediction (barkat) upon us”.
Among other dignitaries who joined the namazis at Gandhi Maidan was Ashok Choudhary, a JD(U) national general secretary and one of the most influential ministers in the Nitish Kumar cabinet.
Choudhary told reporters, “It is good to see that Nishant is following in the footsteps of his father, who has given due respect to people of all faiths. Let me share an anecdote. I happened to accompany the chief minister on a tour of Punjab shortly after the 350th Prakash Parva was celebrated on a huge scale in Patna, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh”.
“So moved were the Sikhs by our chief minister’s gesture that when we went to a Gurudwara in Ludhiana, they held his hand and kissed it, displaying a reverence they normally reserve for a holy man. Such is our leader’s towering personality,” said Choudhary.