Rename Rajasthan as Kartavyasthan: Shashi Tharoor on renaming Rajpath

NEW DELHI: Criticising the BJP government over the renaming of Rajpath as Kartavya Path, Congress leader and author Shashi Tharoor questioned the centre that shouldn't all Raj Bhavans become Kartavya Bhavans. He tweeted, "If Rajpath is to be renamed #KartavyaPath, shouldn't all Raj Bhavans become Kartavya Bhavans?"

Adding further he tweeted, "Why stop there? Rename Rajasthan as Kartavyasthan?". Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8, inaugurated the Kartavya Path, adding, "the move symbolises a shift from erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power to Kartavya Path being an example of public ownership and empowerment".

PM said, 'Kartavya Path' symbolises a shift from erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power, to Kartavya Path being an example of public ownership and empowerment. He also unveiled the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at the India Gate on occasion. Inaugurating the Kartavya Path PM said, "Today, we are filling the picture of tomorrow with new colours, leaving behind the past. Today this new aura is visible everywhere, it is the aura of confidence of New India", he said. He continued "Kingsway (Rajpath), the symbol of slavery, has become a matter of history from today and has been erased forever. Today a new history has been created in the form of 'Kartavya Path'. I congratulate all the countrymen for their freedom from yet another identity of slavery, in this Amrit Kaal of independence."

The Prime Minister emphasized that the Kartavya Path is not just a road of bricks and stones but a living example of India's democratic past and all-time ideals. The Prime Minister highlighted that on the contrary, the Rajpath was for the British Raj who considered the people of India as slaves. He stressed that the emotion and structure of the Rajpath were a symbol of slavery, but today with the change in architecture, its spirit is also transformed. This Kartavya Path stretching from the National War Memorial to Rashtrapati Bhawan will be vibrant with a sense of duty, he added.

The Prime Minister said that India of today is working on cultural infrastructure along with physical, digital, and transport infrastructure. For Social infrastructure, he gave examples of new AIIMS and medical colleges, IITs, water connections, and Amrit Sarovars. He said rural roads and the record number of modern expressways, railways and metro networks, and new airports are expanding transport infrastructure in an unprecedented manner. Optical fiber to panchayats and records of digital payments have made India's digital infrastructure a topic of global appreciation.

Talking about cultural infrastructure, PM Modi said that it does not mean just the infrastructure associated with the places of faith but also includes infrastructure related to our history, our national heroes and our national heritage. He said that the development of such sites is also taking place with equal urgency. PM Modi stressed that an aspirational India can make rapid progress only by giving impetus to social infrastructure, transport infrastructure, digital infrastructure and cultural infrastructure as a whole. "I am happy that today, the country is getting another great example of cultural infrastructure in the form of Kartavya Path", the Prime Minister added.