BJP’s Dinesh Sharma seeks to rename roads in Delhi bearing Mughal, British-era names: ‘Showcases colonial mindset’

The Congress insulted the sacrifices of patriots and freedom fighters when they gave more importance to invaders post-Independence, the BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Sharma said.

“Many of these names echo the colonial era, and seem to be celebrating the invaders. This is not a lapse, but showcases the colonial mindset of some people,” Dinesh Sharma said. (File photo)

BJP MP Dinesh Sharma on Wednesday raised the issue of roads and public places in the National Capital bearing Mughal and British-era names, citing examples like Akbar Road, Lodhi Road and Minto Bridge in Delhi.

“Many of these names echo the colonial era, and seem to be celebrating the invaders. This is not a lapse, but showcases the colonial mindset of some people,” he said while raising the matter in Rajya Sabha.

The former Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister also took an aim at the earlier Congress governments in the Capital and said, “Spiritual leaders of various communities, the sacrifices of patriots and freedom fighters were insulted by the Congress party when they gave more importance to invaders post-Independence.”

Today’s India is built on the sacrifices of many heroes who fought for the country’s independence, he said. But it is sad that the roads in Delhi are named after British viceroys and Mughal emperors who raided our temples and tried to erase our heritage, he added.

Sharma said that while Minto was a British Viceroy, Lodhi was a ruler of the last dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate, and Najaf Khan was a commander of the Mughals. There have been demands by various sections of the Delhi BJP to rename the city’s roads as a means of decolonising India.

Earlier this year, Sharma, along with BJP leader and Union minister Krishan Pal Gurjar, had renamed Tughlak Lane in Lutyens’ Delhi to Swami Vivekananda Marg on the nameplates installed at their official residences.

Sharma, who held a housewarming ceremony for his new residence, shared a photo on X showing the new nameplate, which read “Swami Vivekananda Marg” at the entrance. “Today, along with my family, I performed a housewarming ceremony and formally moved into my new residence on Swami Vivekananda Marg (Tughlak Lane) in New Delhi,” Sharma wrote on X at the time.

Divya A

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More

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