New Delhi, 06 July (H.S.): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday shared a social media post highlighting the early life and political journey of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President **Nitin Nabin**, responding to recent remarks made by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal against the BJP leader. Sharing a memoir written by Nitin Nabin's former college classmate, Piyush Padmakar, the Prime Minister said Nabin's simplicity and humility are a matter of pride for every BJP worker.

Recalling their student days in 1998, Piyush Padmakar described how Nitin Nabin led a modest life despite being the son of a legislator. He wrote, This story begins in 1998. Nitin and I were both studying in Delhi after completing Class 12. He studied at CSKM, while I was at Kendriya Vidyalaya. Nitin's father was an MLA, but he treated me with great affection. My father and his father had been close friends for many years.

Padmakar said that during May and June 1998, the two lived together in the same room while seeking admission to different colleges in Delhi after completing school.

He recalled that although Nitin Nabin was the son of an MLA, he never displayed any sense of privilege or arrogance. We would share a ₹20 lunch thali so that each of us could save ₹10. We travelled by DTC buses to avoid spending money on auto-rickshaws. The idea of taking a taxi never even crossed Nitin's mind. In those days, hiring a taxi meant spending more than ₹50. Whenever six or seven friends joined us, we would think carefully about how to order food while keeping expenses to a minimum. Even then, Nitin never introduced himself or behaved as though he was the son of an MLA.

Padmakar also recounted an incident from their college days when he and three friends, including Nitin Nabin, were looking for rented accommodation in Delhi's IP Extension area.

He said that when a property dealer learned that one of the prospective tenants was the son of an MLA from Patna, Bihar, he began showing them expensive apartments. However, Nitin Nabin made their financial situation clear.

Our monthly budget was only ₹2,000. Nitin said, 'My father will not give me more than that. I have to manage my accommodation, food and college expenses within ₹2,000 a month.' After that, we gave up the idea of renting an apartment in IP Extension.

Instead, the four friends rented a modest accommodation in the Mandawali locality of West Vinod Nagar.

Padmakar said they could not afford domestic help, so they divided household responsibilities among themselves. Two of us prepared breakfast every morning while the other two washed the utensils. We swept and mopped the house ourselves. Initially, Nitin and I were assigned together. We washed the used dishes, cleaned the house, got ready quickly and then changed two buses to reach college. Even at that time, Nitin was the most disciplined and approachable among all four of us. Whenever disagreements arose, it was always Nitin who resolved them.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar