Rename Habibganj rail station after Rani Kamlapati, says Madhya Pradesh govt

The letter from the state’s transport department has said that renaming the station is also in accordance with the Indian government’s decision to celebrate November 15 as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ in remembrance of revered tribal leader and freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

Bhopal’s revamped Habibganj Railway Station. PM Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate it on Monday.@PIB_India @MIB_India @RailMinIndia @JansamparkMP pic.twitter.com/ZwNABRISlY

— PIB in MP (@PIBBhopal) November 13, 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the station which has been redeveloped at a cost of Rs 100 crore on November 15, the day government launches the ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’, a week-long celebration of the pride of the Scheduled Tribes in India.

The letter also explains the reason behind the decision to rename the station.

Rani Kamlapati was the widow Gond ruler of Nizam Shah, chief of Ginnorgarh. The Gond community comprises the largest tribal group of India with more than 1.2 crore population. Linguistically, the Gonds belong to the Gondi-Manda subgroup of the South Central branch of the Dravidian language family.

Madhya Pradesh govt writes to Centre to rename Bhopal’s Habibganj railway station after the tribal queen, Rani Kamlapati pic.twitter.com/b2Q0EUICgX

— ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2021

The letter states that the renaming of the station will honour Rani Kamlapati’s legacy and bravery.

The decision of the state government to rename the station as Rani Kamlapati station comes a day after BJP MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur demanded that the station be renamed after former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“Arrival of the hon’ble prime minister on 15/11/2021 to participate in Janajatiy Gaurav Diwas is a good omen for Bhopal. I am sure that Modi ji will announce to rename Habibganj railway station in the name of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji and fulfil my old request,” Thakur said in a tweet on Thursday.

The name of Allahabad railway station has been changed to Prayagraj and Mughalsarai railway junction ras been renamed Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay junction.