Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta on Tuesday demanded that prominent streets and lanes named after Mughal rulers in Lutyens’ Delhi be renamed after the “brave sons of the country”.
Terming the current names as “symbols of slavery”, Mr. Gupta said roads should be named after “symbols of bravery” such as Guru Gobind Singh, Maharana Pratap and the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.
The BJP leader, who had recently demanded the renaming of 40 villages in the Capital citing the same reason, wrote to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is also a member of the Council.
‘Wish of Delhi people’
Naming roads after “foreign invaders like Akbar, Humayun, Babar and Aurangzeb” was part of the “appeasement politics” of successive Congress governments, Mr. Gupta said. “This change should not be seen from the Hindu-Muslim prism as it is the wish of the common people of Delhi,” he added.
“As a real tribute to the founder of the Khalsa Panth and Sikhs’ 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, who sacrificed his four sons for religion and the security of the country, we demand that Tughlaq Road, which is a symbol of Mughal-era slavery, be now named after him,” Mr. Gupta said.
“Akbar Road should be renamed Maharana Pratap Road, Humayun Road should be named after Maharishi Valmiki while Shahjahan Road should be called CDS General Bipin Rawat Road. Aurangzeb Lane should be renamed Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Lane and Babar Lane should be called Khudiram Bose Lane,” Mr. Gupta said.
“It is regretful that the Congress carried this baggage of slavery for so many years,” he added.
‘Failed bulldozer politics’
Reacting to Mr. Gupta’s remarks, the Delhi Congress said the BJP, after failing in the “bulldozer politics” of hatred due to massive opposition from the people, was trying to disturb communal amity with its move to rename historic places and roads in the city.
Delhi Congress chief Ch. Anil Kumar said if the BJP wanted to do something for the Capital, it should build new community centres, improve municipal schools, provide better civic facilities. “I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rename the new Parliament building after Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who was a non-political eminent figure, and also name all the gates of the building after rishi-munis and mahapurush of the country,” Mr. Kumar said.
The Aam Aadmi Party, when contacted, did not offer any comment on the issue.
