'Mughlai Paratha' Next? Oppn Attacks Govt Over Renaming Iconic Mughal Gardens, BJP Defends Move

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.

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.

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,” news agency PTI quoted TMC Parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien 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”.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also took a dig at the government on Sunday, asking if the “problems” of the country and its people will go away by changing names.

In a tweet in Hindi, Mayawati said, “Except for a handful of people, all the people of the country are suffering from a stressful life due to high inflation, poverty and unemployment etc, and instead of focusing on resolving these problems, attempt to divert people’s attention through conversion, renaming, boycott and hate speeches are unfair and sad.”

In a another tweet, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati said, “Will changing the name of the famous Mughal Gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan solve the burning day-to-day problems of the country and crores of people here.” “Else, the general public will consider this as an attempt by the government to cover up its shortcomings and failures,” she said.

(With PTI inputs)

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