Minister, BJP MP add ‘Vivekanand Marg’ to nameplates outside homes on Tughlaq Lane

In a video that he shared on social media, former Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dr Dinesh Sharma could be seen participating in rituals as he moved into his 6, Tughlaq Lane bungalow. The nameplate, as seen in the clip, has his name, designation, house number, and ‘Swami Vivekanand Marg’ inscribed, with “Tughlaq Lane” written below in brackets.

“Today, along with my family, I performed the housewarming ceremony of my new residence at Swami Vivekanand Marg (Tughlaq Lane) in New Delhi, as per the rituals and prayers,” Sharma wrote on X.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Sharma emphasised that the original name has not been removed.

“Tughlaq Lane has not been removed from the nameplates; both Swami Vivekanand Marg and Tughlaq Lane have been mentioned,” he stated. He added that he had merely instructed the “nameplate-maker” to include the road’s name and had not specifically requested the addition of Swami Vivekanand Marg. “In fact, Google Maps has been displaying the name ‘Swami Vivekanand Marg’ for the last 12–15 years,” Sharma claimed.

On making a similar modification to his nameplate, Krishan Pal Gurjar said, “We have faith in Swami Vivekananda, which is why we have added his name. But we have not removed Tughlaq Lane. We have not done anything against the rules. Vivekananda is an inspiration for our youth, not Tughlaq,” he said.

Sharma also expressed his support for an official renaming, provided the due constitutional process was followed.

He criticised Opposition leaders for their “Tughlaqi thinking”. “I do not support vandalism of signages and boards to change names, but if the name Tughlaq Lane is changed through a constitutional process, I would support it. It was not just Hindus who suffered under Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s rule — many Muslims also faced hardship when he decided to shift his capital, forcing them to travel miles with limited food and water. I do not understand why the Opposition has an issue if such a name change was to take place; why should this country be run by Chegezi, Tughlaqi, and Aurangzebi thinking?” he questioned.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Singh said, “The BJP is saying that all the signs of cruel Mughal rulers should be erased, which is a good thing. Then why are Trump, Obama, and Trudeau shown the Taj Mahal? Why does Modiji give a speech from the Red Fort? All this was built by the Mughals. But the BJP is afraid of discussing the cruelty of the British because the RSS had supported the British in the freedom movement.”

The authority to rename roads is the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which has stated that no official proposal has been submitted for renaming Tughlaq Lane.

According to NDMC procedures, a request to change a name must be submitted to its general administration department.

The proposal is then placed before its 13-member Council for approval. If passed, it is sent to the Delhi government’s urban development department for a final clearance.

The nameplate modifications come amid a broader push by BJP MLAs to rename some localities in Delhi. In the recently concluded Delhi Assembly session, a proposal was initiated to rename Najafgarh as Nahargarh.

Najafgarh MLA Neelam Pahalwan had argued for the change. “Najafgarh faced many challenges under the Mughal rule during Alam II’s time. During the 1857 revolt, Raja Nahar Singh fought to include the Najafgarh region in Delhi’s territory. We have been trying for a long time to change the name,” Pahalwan said in the Assembly.

Later, R K Puram MLA Anil Sharma also sought to rename Mohammadpur village in his constituency as Madhavpuram.

After winning from Mustafabad in the recent polls, BJP MLA and Deputy Speaker of Delhi Assembly, Mohan Singh Bisht, had called for renaming Mustafabad to Shivpuri, citing a poll promise he had made to voters. The area was among the worst-affected during the 2020 Delhi riots.