West Bengal Panel Considers Renaming Roads Named After Communist Leaders
2 sources · India
Who reported this
- The Hindu
- The Indian Express
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- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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A 10 member committee established by the West Bengal government is examining proposals to rename several public places, bridges, and roads, including three major thoroughfares in Kolkata named after Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx, and Ho Chi Minh. The panel is led by Swami Pradiptananda, also known as Kartik Maharaj of Bharat Sevashram. According to a Kolkata Municipal Corporation official, the committee is expected to hold its first meeting after Durga Puja to discuss the Kolkata proposals. No official decisions have been made yet, as any changes will depend on the committee's recommendations, which will then be sent to the state Assembly.
Kartik Maharaj stated that the panel will evaluate the relevance of the current names in the context of Indian and Bengali heritage, culture, and sanskriti. Among the committee members are former Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy, Chief Minister's Adviser Subrata Gupta, and KMC Commissioner Smita Pandey. Mr. Roy, a former BJP state chief, has suggested specific alternatives: renaming Lenin Sarani after mathematician Debaprasad Ghosh, Karl Marx Sarani after poets Michael Madhusudan Dutt or Rangalal Bandyopadhyay, and Ho Chi Minh Sarani after Martin Luther King Jr. Mr. Roy also proposed renaming the Titumir bus stand in Barasat after figures he described as nationalist Muslims, such as Begum Rokeya, Qazi Abdul Wadud, or S. Wajed Ali. Additionally, he called for the removal of the Lenin statue at the crossing of Jawaharlal Nehru Road and Sidhho Kanhu Dahar.
Lenin Sarani was renamed from Dharmatala Street in 1970, and Karl Marx Sarani was renamed from Circular Garden Reach Road in 1971. The proposed changes have raised questions regarding whether altering long established names could erase parts of the political and cultural history of Kolkata.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- The reporting detailed the specific ideological motivations and proposed replacements while noting concerns about the erasure of political history.
- Centre
- The reporting focused on the administrative process of the renaming queue.
Sources
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