The Jinnah Tower in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur, which was in the news recently after members of a right-wing group were thwarted from unfurling the national flag at the landmark, now bears the colours of the tricolour. The development follows the controversy which erupted on January 26, on the occasion of Republic Day.
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“After request from various groups, we decided to decorate the tower with the tricolour. We will also construct a pole near it for hoisting the national flag. Necessary arrangements to hoist the flag will be made on Thursday,” said Guntur East MLA Mohammed Musthafa, who is from Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSR Congress Party (YSCRP).
Musthafa, who visited the tower on Tuesday to inspect the security arrangements, accused the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to provoke communal clashes. “Muslim elders fought against the English during the freedom struggle. After achieving independence, some Muslims left the country and settled in Pakistan. But, we wanted to continue in our country as Indians and we love our motherland,” the legislator further said.
Meanwhile, the BJP, which has been demanding that the tower be renamed, once again called for a new nomenclature. Y Satya Kumar, the party's national secretary, tweeted: “Painting the Jinnah Tower with tricolour will still not change the colour of your heart, Mr @ysjagan , which unfortunately, is still green with a crescent. Pay heed to people's demand & change the name of Jinnah tower!”
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the BJP, which has been demanding that the tower be renamed, once again called for a new nomenclature. Y Satya Kumar, the party's national secretary, tweeted: “Painting the Jinnah Tower with tricolour will still not change the colour of your heart, Mr @ysjagan , which unfortunately, is still green with a crescent. Pay heed to people's demand & change the name of Jinnah tower!”
{{/usCountry}}Kumar also described this as the BJP's win over ‘pseudo-secular and anti-national forces.’ He posted: “BJP & the nationalist forces will not rest until the name of Jinnah is removed and same is named after Dr Abdul Kalam or Sri Gurram Jashuva.”
Built in 1945 in the heart of Guntur, the Jinnah Tower, as its nomenclature suggests, is named after Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who, two years later, founded Pakistan. The monument was constructed as a tower with six pillars with a dome-shaped structure atop. The location is also sometimes referred to as the Jinnah Centre.
(With ANI inputs)