The ‘name change’ bandwagon rolled into Bihar and an effort was made on Monday to rename Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Park — dedicated to the memory of the former Prime Minister and BJP leader — in Patna.

However, chief minister Nitish Kumar intervened in the nick of time and came out as a saviour of the park’s name despite being in the camp opposed to the BJP.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad’s eldest son and environment and forest minister Tej Pratap Yadav on Sunday decided to rename the park bearing Vajpayee’s name as Coconut Park. Posters were put up, invitation cards were distributed and officials from the environment and forest department made preparations for Yadav to inaugurate the renamed park on Monday along with seven other similar facilities in the city after their renovation.

A new banner bearing the name Coconut Park was put just below the board bearing the previous name.

The park was previously called Coconut Park but was renamed Atal Park on December 25, 2018, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Vajpayee. He passed away the same year on August 16. A bust of the former Prime Minister was also installed there.

Yadav’s move was seen as a ploy to provoke the BJP and it certainly did.

Senior BJP leaders condemned it and reminded chief minister Kumar of his reverence for Vajpayee. He had recently visited the former Prime Minister’s memorial ‘Sadaiv Atal’ in Delhi to pay floral tributes on the occasion of his death anniversary.

“It is a malicious and objectionable move by the Janata Dal United-RJD government to change the name of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Park to Coconut Park. It is an insult to the former Prime Minister. It is a crime. The RJD leaders should understand that fireflies cannot compete with the Sun,” minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai, who was in Patna, told reporters.

“This move to change the park’s name must be stopped. I request chief minister Nitish Kumar to ensure that the name is not changed. If this is not stopped, some day the RJD leaders will change his (Kumar’s) name too,” he added.

Sources said that after seeing the reactions, Nitish swung into action and sent a message down the line to maintain the status quo. It was quickly obeyed. The environment and forest department officials removed the posters and banners related to the renaming and inauguration of the concerned park.

Yadav went ahead with the inauguration of the seven other parks in the city but did not visit the one that was the focal point of the controversy.

“The name of the park has always been Coconut Park. The BJP is spreading rumours through the media that the name of the park has been changed. There has been no change. The park’s name has been Coconut Park since the beginning,” he told reporters.

“The park’s name in government documents has always been Coconut Park,” Yadav added.