New Delhi: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the renaming of the historic Rajpath to Kartavya Path was "pure politics".
He was speaking on the sidelines of a panel discussion on the book "British Takeover of India: Modus Operandi". When he was asked about his views on renaming streets, cities, and institutions, he said: "It's a complicated issue because some places have acquired a certain resonance in the memories of Indians who have grown up with them."
However, he highlighted that Rajpath itself is a Hindi word. "That's pure politics, I am afraid. There's nothing more than that. Because Rajpath itself is a Hindi word." He added that such matters should be discussed widely.
Rajpath was renamed Kartavya Path in September 2022 by the BJP government. It is the ceremonial boulevard of the national capital that connects the Raisina Hill complex to India Gate.
The path was built by British monarch King George V in 1911. When India became free, prominent streets like Kingsway and Queensway, which run perpendicular to each other in the heart of the capital designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker, were renamed 'Rajpath' and 'Janpath' respectively.
He spoke further about renaming places and said he wondered what it accomplished in the cases of Bombay, Kolkata, and Madras.
The renaming is often done in the name of shedding colonial baggage and many heritage experts and historians argue against it saying this "breaks the continuity of history" and the practice is done to "erase public memories".
"I am all in favour of renaming places carrying names of obscure Brits, and instead honouring Indians. But, at some point, I think you have to... For example, renaming of cities like Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta, I am not sure what it really accomplished," Tharoor told PTI.