Earlier in the day, news emerged that the iconic Mughal Gardens inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises has been renamed ‘Amrit Udyan’. The garden’s name has been changed to Amrit Udyan on the occasion of celebrations of 75 years of Independence as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
The BJP administration’s decision instantly triggered certain members of the Congress party, who went on to suggest that it is a partisan move by the central government to divide society along religious lines and sow seeds of hatred toward other communities.
Speaking to the media, senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi asked which other monument built by the British the BJP intends to rename or demolish next. “Will they now demolish the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament, Lal Qila or Taj Mahal, which were built by the British?” the leader lambasted.
Delhi’s Mughal Gardens renamed. Congress hits out.
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) January 28, 2023
Here’s what BJP spokesperson @Shehzad_Ind
said.#MughalGardens #AmritUdyan #News @Akshita_N #ITVideo pic.twitter.com/FKBK7Fjtd9
Congress’s Rashid Alvi suggested that the Centre create new roads, gardens, etc., and give them whatever names it wishes, rather than renaming already-existing structures.
“The BJP government has a tendency of renaming cities, roads, and now even gardens. They view this as what constitutes development,” stated Alvi.
Alvi was not the only Congress leader who took umbrage at the move. INC’s George Kurian also weighed in on the BJP government’s decision to rename the Mughal Garden in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He stated that the BJP has failed in its priorities and the move was “nothing but an attempt to distract from real issues.”
#MughalSymbolPurged
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 28, 2023
The Centre renamed the Mughal Garden in Rashtrapati Bhavan to ‘Amrit Udyan’.
BJP has failed in its priorities. The party has failed on many fronts. It’s an attempt to re-write history: @GeorgekurianINC
It’s a welcome move: @DrGeetaBhatt pic.twitter.com/ecyzsJErgp
The Cuddalore Congress Sevadal also took to Twitter to slam the move, “The only development of BJP is nothing other than naming other’s Child.. Mughal garden renamed.”
The only development of BJP is nothing other than naming other’s Child.. Mughal garden renamed. pic.twitter.com/GuJh875Wkz
— Cuddalore Congress Sevadal (@SevadalCUD) January 28, 2023
Meanwhile, reacting strongly to Congress’s objection, BJP spokesperson Shehzaad Poonawala said, “What we are experiencing is the shedding of colonial legacy and colonial symbols, whether its the renaming of Rajpath to Kartavya Path, whether it is getting rid of the statue of King George, whether it is getting rid of St. George’s cross from the Naval ensign and replacing it with Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj sign or whether it is renaming these past burdens with names that are more contemporary and that reflect Indian culture, Indian sentiments. I think that should be welcomed.”
Delhi’s Mughal Gardens renamed. Congress hits out.
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) January 28, 2023
Here’s what BJP spokesperson @Shehzad_Ind
said.#MughalGardens #AmritUdyan #News @Akshita_N #ITVideo pic.twitter.com/FKBK7Fjtd9
“It’s very difficult to understand why Congress is opposed to every nationalist step. What problem it has with breaking away from the shackles of colonial mindset,” the BJP leader added.
Mughal Gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan renamed ‘Amrit Udyan’
Earlier in the day OpIndia reported that the iconic Mughal Gardens inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises has been renamed ‘Amrit Udyan’. The garden’s name has been changed on the occasion of celebrations of 75 years of Independence as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
Navika Gupta, Deputy Press Secretary to President, said that the president of India has given a common name to the Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens as ‘Amrit Udyan’. The Deputy Press Secretary further informed that the Amrit Udayan will be inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday, January 2.
It is notable that although called Mughal Gardens, the garden on Raisina Hill was not built by the Mughals, as the entire complex was built by the British, long after the fall of the Mughal empire. However, because the garden was designed in the manner of Mughal gardens built by Mughals in various locations throughout the country, it was given the generic name Mughal Gardens.
It is also important to note that there are numerous Mughal gardens in the country, most of them on the premises of Mughal-built structures like the Taj Mahal, Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort etc.
