Abhitesh
PATNA: After several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in the state asserted that the park had been named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2018, the Bihar government on Monday announced plans to rename and inaugurate a park in the state capital of Patna.
In light of the allegations, Bandana Preyashi, secretary of Bihar’s department of environment, forest, and climate change, stated that the programme was postponed to confirm the park’s facts. “For the time being, we have postponed the today-scheduled opening of the aforementioned park. We’ve also asked the Patna Municipal Corporation to clarify if and when the park was designated as ‘Atal Park’,” she said.
The park listed in official documents as “Coconut Park” was to be inaugurated by the environment minister of Bihar, Tej Pratap Yadav. According to sources familiar with the matter, it will be one of the 75 parks taken over by the forest department in 2019 as part of an agreement with the municipal development department.
Samrat Chaudhry, the state president of the BJP, launched a scathing attack on chief minister Nitish Kumar, recalling his well-publicized visit to the former prime minister’s memorial in New Delhi. “The renaming reveals Nitish Kumar’s true character and his reverence for the late prime minister. A few days ago he paid his respects, and today the park will be renamed in his honour,” said.
Nityanand Rai, the Union’s minister of state for home affairs, stated that it was an offence. “It would be offensive to rename the park after Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is comparable to an offence. Tejashwi Yadav will be questioned by the nation and the general population. Tejashwi Yadav will also change his name if Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, does not stop him from changing his identity.
According to the available information, the park may never have been officially named in honour of the former prime minister, according to those who are familiar with the situation.
Tej Pratap Yadav, the sibling of Tejashwi Yadav, responded to the BJP’s criticism. “The official name of the facility is Coconut facility. There are rumours that the park has been renamed. “The BJP must have put up the sign (for Atal Park),” said Tej Pratap.
Mirtunjay Tiwary, a spokesperson for the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal, also criticised the BJP, stating that renaming enterprises and buildings was a BJP tradition.
We do not support renaming… “Changing names is a BJP tradition,” Tiwari said, citing the recent decision by the central government to rename the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in New Delhi.
The plaque on the pedestal of Vajpayee’s sculpture in the park indicates that the park was named after Vajpayee at a ceremony in December 2018; it states that the park will be known as Atal Bihari Vajpayee-cum-Coconut Park. However, only private individuals and organisations, including the Situation and Development Foundation, are listed on the plaque.
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It is unclear under what conditions a private organisation could install and rename a statue in a public park. Since the listed phone number was deactivated, it has been impossible to contact the organisation.
