A major shake-up is on the way for the names of Kolkata's roads and neighbourhoods. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has made it clear that no street or locality in the West Bengal capital will continue to carry the name of Mughal, Pathan or British rulers. He made the announcement in the assembly on Tuesday and also said a committee would be set up to review such names.
The matter came up during the discussion on the Governor's address. The real trigger for the debate was a single road in Kolkata's Park Circus area whose name was recently changed.
The debate over renaming Suhrawardy Avenue
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has renamed Suhrawardy Avenue, a road in the Park Circus area, as Gopal Mukherjee Road. On Tuesday, the assembly saw a sharp debate over this decision and over the history behind the road's original name.
Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee questioned the change and said history was being tampered with. He argued that Suhrawardy Avenue had not been named after former Pakistan Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, who is accused of the killing of many people in Kolkata (then Calcutta) in 1946, but rather after his grandfather, Maulana Obaidullah Suhrawardy.
According to Banerjee, the road was named in 1932 after Sir Hassan Suhrawardy, a well-known doctor who was also the first Muslim Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University.
The Chief Minister's reply to the Opposition
Responding to Ritabrata Banerjee's claims, Suvendu Adhikari said bluntly that there would be no Mughal, Pathan or tyrannical British names left in Kolkata. He praised the decision to rename Suhrawardy Avenue, calling it a step towards correcting a historical mistake.
He then announced a committee to review the names of roads and public spaces. He said the panel would be headed by Swami Pradipananda Maharaj, who is also known as Kartik Maharaj, and that members of the public could send their suggestions to the committee.
'Bengali culture cannot be erased'
Making his case, the Chief Minister said, "Except Sister Nivedita, no foreign name will remain. If there are true patriots like APJ Abdul Kalam, inform us and the state government will honour them. You cannot erase Bengali culture and pride."
