Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary Binoy Viswam on Monday wrote to President Draupadi Murmu and condemned the renaming of Rashtrapati Bhavan’s ‘Mughal Gardens’ to ‘Amrit Udyan’.
The CPI veteran called the union government’s move as ‘arbitrary and unfortunate’ for attempting to erase the relevance of the Mughal period.
While requesting President Murmu to look into ‘all the possibilities’ for reversing the decision, Viswam urged her to consult with historians and scholars regarding the matter.
The CPI leader’s letter read, “The names of places such as these are historical details that illuminate a particular period of our history. The Mughal period is an unerasable part of Indian history. Being part of an empire, it is true that the Mughal rulers had their positive and negative records. The same is true of Hindu empires”, he wrote.
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“Trying to erase the word “Mughal” from history can only be seen as an attempt to rewrite Indian history and redefine nationhood. What is lost in the renaming is an essential component of Delhi’s history. It is quite unfortunate that someone as honourable as you were made instrumental for implementing such a communally motivated decision,” the letter added.
President Murmu on Saturday renamed the six gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan, including the famed Mughal Gardens, to Amrit Udyan, in line with national celebrations for the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.
{{/usCountry}}President Murmu on Saturday renamed the six gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan, including the famed Mughal Gardens, to Amrit Udyan, in line with national celebrations for the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.
{{/usCountry}}Spread over 15 acres, the Mughal Gardens, now part of the Amrit Udyan, is one of the key attractions for visitors to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Earlier, the government renamed three other landmarks in the national Capital — Raj Path became Kartavya Path, Race Course Road was renamed Lok Kalyan Marg, and Aurangzeb Road at the India Gate hexagon was named after late President and Bharat Ratna APJ Abdul Kalam.