BJP’s Indian govt now wants to rename New Delhi

DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is now after their own capital city and its history. BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal wrote a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah requesting that New Delhi be renamed “Indraprastha”.

According to Indian media, Praveen Khandelwal said in her letter that Delhi’s history is thousands of years old, and it represents the roots of Indian civilization and the city “Indraprastha”, which was founded by the Pandavas.

She suggested that the name of the Old Delhi Railway Station be “Indraprastha Junction” and the name of the Delhi International Airport be “Indraprastha Airport”. According to her, this change will highlight India’s historical, cultural and civilizational identity.

Khandelwal further said that statues of the Pandavas should also be installed in the capital so that the new generation can connect with their heritage, history and faith. According to her, this step will be an important step towards historical justice as well as cultural renaissance.

The BJP leader said that just as historical cities like Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya and Ujjain are getting their ancient names back, Delhi should also be given its original identity and dignity.

He termed the proposal as in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cultural vision. According to Khandelwal, renaming Delhi “Indraprastha” will send a message to the coming generations that the capital of India is not just a centre of power but also a symbol of religion, morality and nationalism.

It may be recalled that last month, the Indian right-wing Hindutva organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had also made a similar proposal in favour of changing the name of Delhi, in which the names of Indira Gandhi International Airport and New Delhi Railway Station were also recommended to be changed.

Former minister Vijay Goel had also proposed writing “Dilli” instead of the English spelling “Delhi” in official documents of Delhi. Inida’s BJP government has been following a Hindu-centric agenda, with minorities being pushed towards the peripheries. The extremist statements and policies of Modi’s government have already attacked the Mughal era historical sites as well.

Bolywood has also played a part in this fascist BJP agenda, with a movie dedicated to painting the Taj Mahal as a historical temple.