Assam CM Announces Portal To Invite Suggestions for Renaming Parts of State

Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that a city or town should "represent its culture, tradition and civilisation."

File Photo of Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Himanta Biswa Sarma)

Assam Chief Minister (CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, 16 February, announced the launch of a portal to invite suggestions for change of names across the state which are "contrary to our civilisation, culture and derogatory to any caste or community".

The CM claimed that the name of a city, town, etc, should "represent its culture, tradition and civilisation".

The CM, who was present at the inauguration ceremony of the second medical college in Guwahati, stated, “There are some places, where people of the locality do not wish to take the name,” Economic Times reported.

Citing the example of Guwahati's Kalaphar, the CM claimed that it was named after a Muslim General of Bengal Sultanate who attacked the Kamakhya temple.

"So definitely this name has to be removed, I have urged the local MLA to consult with the people and suggest a suitable name," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader reportedly said.

'Politics of Name-Change': Opposition Reacts

Since assuming power, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has continually renamed cities, airports, expressways, streets, railway stations, and even sports complexes.

Most of these name changes – From 'Allahabad' to 'Prayagraj,' 'Habibgunj' station to 'Rani Kamlavati' station – have aimed at erasing Islamic names.

Meanwhile, reacting to the announcement, Congress leader Bobeeta Sharma said, “Every name that was given at a particular time has a history behind it. It has some relevance. The names given may be related to some historical figure or local flavour or even have some funny incident attached to it. I deplore such attempts to change history,” The Hindu reported.

She added:

"They [BJP] should concentrate on creating new history by doing some relevant good work for the State and country that will remain etched in the memory of people rather than tamper with what is already existing."

Further, Assam Jatiya Parishad leader Jagadish Bhuyan was quoted as saying, “They should focus only on fundamental problems the people are facing in daily life during the BJP rule. Changing names is not a fundamental problem these days. If we consider the CM’s logic, how is Deendayal Upadhyaya relevant to the tradition and civilisation of Assam?”

(With inputs from The Hindu.)