Delhi BJP: Change ‘Mughal names’ of roads in New Delhi

HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta on Tuesday wrote to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to rename six roads named after Mughal rulers in the Lutyens’ Delhi area, including Akbar Road and Shahjahan, saying that these are “symbols of slavery”.

In a letter dated May 10 to NDMC chairman Dharmendra, Gupta has suggested that Akbar Road be named after Maharana Pratap, and Shahjahan Road be named after the first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, who died in a helicopter crash on December 8 last year.

The letter has been marked to Union minister of state for external affairs Meenakshi Lekhi, Delhi chief minister Arvind Keriwal, NDMC vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay and other NDMC members.

NDMC officials said they were “looking into the request”. When asked why the BJP is raising the issue now, Gupta said, “As we are celebrating 75 years of Independence, there should be no symbol of slavery in the city. We should remember people who have sacrificed for the country and contributed to its growth. It is not about Hindu-muslim, it is about ideology. Are Aurangzeb, Tughlaq and Babar our role models?”

The Delhi BJP chief also suggested that Babar Lane and Humayun Road, be renamed as Khudiram Bose Lane and Maharishi Balmiki Road respectively. He also demanded that Aurangzeb Lane, just like Aurangzeb Road, be named after former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, and that Tughlaq Road (named after the Tughlaqs of the Delhi Sultanate) be named Guru Gobind Singh Marg.

In 2015, then East Delhi MP Maheish Girri wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to rename Aurangzeb Road after Kalam. Within a few months, NDMC approved the proposal to rename the road.

NDMC vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay, who is a former Delhi BJP chief, said, “We have received the letter from Delhi BJP and we will look into their request. There is a proper procedure in place to change the name of a roads, street etc. It will be followed. But in my personal opinion, roads shouldn’t be named after those who tried to destroy our country’s culture and values.”

Delhi government spokesperson did not respond to requests seeking comment.

Last month, Gupta wrote to Delhi CM asking him to rename 40 villages, claiming that their names are symbols of “slavery”.