Centre seems to be unbothered by Opposition’s attack over renaming of Delhi’s iconic Mughal Gardens as sign board of ‘Amrit Udyan’ have been brought in and placed outside Rashtrapati Bhavan, as part of a move that the BJP-led central government says “shreds yet another symbol of colonialism”.
While Opposition advises the government to focus on creating jobs and controlling inflation instead, Rashtrapati Bhavan’s famed Mughal Gardens will now be known as ‘Amrit Udyan’ and will open for the public from January 31. The resplendent gardens are open to the public once a year.
Delhi: Sign board of ‘Amrit Udyan’ (earlier known as Mughal Gardens) placed outside Rashtrapati BhavanAmrit Udyan is scheduled to open for public from January 31, 2023. pic.twitter.com/BsuG5gmfjG
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2023
The Congress did not officially react to the name change but the Trinamool Congress and CPI rubbished the move with the Left party terming it an “attempt to rewrite history”
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar on Sunday posted a sarcastic tweet, saying: “Waiting for Mughlai Paratha to be renamed Swarga Lok or Indra Lok Paratha”.
Union ministers and BJP leaders, meanwhile, defended the decision by calling it a move towards a “new India”.
“Welcome and thank Hon’ble President Droupadi Murmu Ji for renaming the iconic gardens at the President House as ‘Amrit Udyan.’ “This new name not only shreds yet another symbol of a colonial relic but also reflects India’s aspirations for the Amrit Kaal,” Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Twitter.
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Our Hon’ble President of India, Droupadi Murmu Ji sets an example by renaming the iconic gardens at the President House as ‘Amrit Udyan.'” A powerful symbol of our nation’s progress and a reflection of a brighter future for New India,” Rijiju said in a tweet.
Saying that the Mughals killed Hindus and destroyed temples, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari asserted that “the places named after them should be identified and renamed”.
“We’ll remove all British and Mughal names within a week if BJP comes to power in Bengal,” said Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal.
#WATCH | All the names & symbols of Mughals should be uprooted & thrown away just not in Mughal Garden but in villages & towns in country. They destroyed our heritage. When BJP will come to power in Bengal, we’ll throw away names of Mughals & British: WB BJP leader S Adhikari pic.twitter.com/EnaMoOwCnY— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2023
The Opposition, however, said the government should focus on job creation and controlling inflation instead.
“Who knows, they might now want to rename the Eden Gardens and call it Modi Gardens! They should focus on creating jobs, controlling inflation and protecting the precious resources of LIC and SBI,” TMC Parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien was quoted as saying.
CPI general secretary D Raja said this name change has been going on for quite some time and “no one knows when it will end”.
With inputs from News18, PTI
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