Why should we name our roads and cities after invaders, asks VHP V-P

The vice-president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Champat Rai, said on Tuesday that names of roads and cities in the country were being changed because the

The vice-president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Champat Rai, said on Tuesday that names of roads and cities in the country were being changed because the present generation of Indians and their children “should not be reminded of slavery”.

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Addressing a gathering at Meerut’s Gurukul Prabhat Ashram after attending a ‘Makar Sankranti’ function, Rai said, “Why should we name our roads and cities after those who invaded us and hurt our civilisation and heritage? These names remind us and our children of slavery, so, it is always good to replace them with names of our heroes and revolutionaries.”

He further said that the country was passing through a period of transformation in which symbols of slavery were being removed.

Rai also lauded the VHP for creating a supportive atmosphere for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in the past 35 years. “Eventually, the court verdict came in favour of the temple,” he said.

Speaking about significance of Sanskrit, the VHP V-P said, “It is the best language in the world. Sanskrit is the only language where there is no difference in how it is written and spoken. Efforts are underway to make people aware of the importance of Sanskrit, which is why it is being taught to over 1,000 students at the VHP-run ‘Ved Vidyalayas’ in different parts of the country.”

Later, ashram’s Swami Vivekanand blessed Rai in the presence of leaders from VHP, Bajrang Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. These included Rajkumar, Balraj Dunger, Gopal Sharma, Gulab Singh, Abhishek Chauhan and Sudhanshu.