Marking the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the Chowk outside Sarai Kale Khan inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) in south-east Delhi has been renamed after the revered freedom fighter.
It will now be known as ‘Bhagwan Birsa Munda Chowk’.
The announcement was followed by the unveiling of a 3,000 kg statue of Birsa Munda by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Baansera Bamboo Park in poll-bound Jharkhand.
The second phase of Jharkhand Assembly polls is scheduled to take place on November 20.
Birsa Munda spearheaded a tribal movement that started in the Bengal Presidency in the late 19th century.
Announcing the decision to rename the Sarai Kale Khan Chowk, Khattar said, "To preserve the memory of such an inspiring personality, especially for the youth, a statue of Bhagwan Birsa Munda was unveiled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the ISBT Chowk has been named after him."
According to PTI, reacting to the decision taken by the BJP-led Centre, sources in the Delhi government questioned, "Changing names is the responsibility of the State Names Authority which is currently non-existent... The Sarai Kale Khan Chowk is situated on a road that comes under the PWD of the Delhi government. So, who gave the permission to change its name?"
Sarai Kale Khan Chowk: History
Sarai Kale Khan is known as one of the busiest areas of the city particularly due to the ISBT from where buses ferry travellers to destinations across north India. It has a medieval-era origin as well.
Elaborating the history of the place, the Volume III of 'Monuments of Delhi: Lasting Splendour of the Great Mughals and Others' compiled by Maulvi Zafar Hasan said, "The sarai of Kale Khan which was constructed of rubble masonry was originally surrounded by arched cells, with their outer walls crowned by battlements".
The sarai seemed to be one of those which are known to have been built by Sher Shah at the distance of a "Kiroh (nearly 3 km) on the road from Bengal to the Indus", it said.
"In each of these sarais, travellers, Muhammadans as well as Hindus, were entertained, at the public expense, by the order of the Emperor, and horse posts were established there for quick communication, so that news from Bengal reached him daily," the Volume mentioned.
BJP govt's renaming spree: The big ones
Over the past few years, the Modi-led BJP government has taken a number of high-profile renaming decisions that are often seen as an attempt to promote "decolonisation" and restoration of India’s historical identity.
On September, the central government announced it has decided to rename the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Port Blair as "Sri Vijaya Puram” while the Maharashtra government approved a proposal to name to name Pune airport as Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj Pune International Airport after a cabinet meeting.
Back in 2018, the ancient city of Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj in a bid to restore the original name of the city, which is associated with the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three sacred rivers in Hinduism.
Moreover, in 2023, as part of the "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav" celebrations, the renowned Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi were rechristened as "Amrit Udyan".
Under the much debated Central Vista Redevelopment Project, the centre also redeveloped the iconic Rajpath in Delhi and renamed it to 'Kartavya Path', a move that was criticised by the Opposition saying it was "pure politics".
