The BJP in Delhi has asked for names of roads that "symbolise Muslim slavery" to be renamed. Tughlaq Road, Akbar Road, Aurangzeb Lane, Humayun Road and Shahjahan Road should be renamed, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta has written to the civic body NDMC.
Mr Gupta has suggested that Tughlaq Road should be renamed Guru Gobind Singh Marg, Akbar Road should be called Maharana Pratap Road, Aurangzeb Lane should be Abdul Kalam Lane, Humayun Road should be Maharshi Valmiki Road and Shahjahan Road should be named after General Bipin Rawat.
The Delhi BJP president also says Babar Lane should be renamed after freedom fighter Khudiram Bose.
The Congress headquarters are at 24, Akbar Road.
Such changes are approved by a panel of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the civic body that has jurisdiction over roads in central Delhi, the seat of power in the capital with top government offices and homes including those of the President and Prime Minister.
Requests are put up before the NDMC council, a 13-member body headed by the chairperson.
The rules say renaming requests should take into account history, sentiment and whether a personality needs to be acknowledged in that manner.
But the NDMC's rules assert that renaming is an exception.
Since the BJP came to power in 2014, a renaming spree in Delhi and BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh have fuelled much controversy and debate.
In 2015, Aurangzeb Road was renamed after former President APJ Abdul Kalam. A year later, the Race Course Road, the elite address for the Prime Minister's residence, was changed to "Lok Kalyan Marg".
While historians object to changes that appear to tinker with history, the BJP has made it a question of restoring national pride by doing away with symbols of slavery under Mughal and colonial rule.
Such name-change exercises have also divided people and political parties in the past.
The iconic Connaught Place in Delhi was renamed as "Rajiv Chowk" when the Congress was in power, amid massive criticism of the "sycophantic" recommendation by a party leader. The new name never really caught on.
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