After six gardens of the Rashtrapati Bhavan including the famed Mughal Gardens renamed as Amrit Udyan, leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said names and symbols of Mughals should be “uprooted and thrown away”.
“They (Mughals) killed so many Hindus and destroyed temples. All the places named after them should be identified and renamed. We will remove all British and Mughal names within a week if BJP comes to power in Bengal,” Adhikari told ANI.
The sprawling Mughal Gardens, now part of the Amrit Udyan, derived its name from the Mughal Gardens in Srinagar and was one of the key attractions for visitors to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The rechristening of Mughal Gardens was done days before Rashtrapati Bhavan opens five of its gardens for the public for two months starting January 31.
“Rashtrapati Bhavan is home to a rich variety of gardens. Originally, they included East Lawn, Central Lawn, Long Garden and Circular Garden. During the term of former Presidents Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Shri Ram Nath Kovind, more gardens were developed, namely, Herbal-I, Herbal-II, Tactile Garden, Bonsai Garden and Arogya Vanam. On the occasion of the celebrations of 75 years of Independence as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the President of India is pleased to give a common name to the Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens as ‘Amrit Udyan’,” said a communique from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The BJP-led central and state governments have renamed several landmarks and places in recent years, especially those linked Mughal rule. In Delhi, Raj Path became Kartavya Path, Race Course Road was renamed as Lok Kalyan Marg and Aurangzeb Road at the India Gate hexagon was named after late President and Bharat Ratna APJ Abdul Kalam. Outside Delhi, Allahabad was renamed as Prayagraj, Mughal Sarai junction was named after Jan Sangh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Gurgaon as Gurugram, among a series of name changes.
While many in the BJP welcomed the latest decision, the opposition 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,” Trinamool Congress’ Parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien was reported as saying by news agency PTI.
Former diplomat KC Singh tweeted, “What’s the point. It isn’t Mughal Garden because Aurangzeb named it. The British named it so as it is laid out in the Mughal Garden style with fountains, water channels & quadrants. That can’t be changed, can it?”
