The majestic Gateway of India is the most prominent landmark of Mumbai. For every Mumbaikar, it is a matter of pride and everyone who visits Mumbai from outside makes it a point to visit Gateway. Besides, it also figures in the list of most photographed monuments of the country.
Six-time BJP MLA Raj Purohit now wants to be renamed Gateway of India as Bharat Dawaar.
“The days of British Raj are over. Names of many railway stations have been changed. The name of the city has been changed from Bombay to Mumbai. Hence, Gateway of India should now be called Bharat Dwaar,” said Purohit, the chief whip of the BJP in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
The senior BJP leader said that he had held several informal discussions on this issue and many of his friends had been requesting him to ensure that the Gateway of India gets an “Indian name”. “The structure is a symbol of slavery,” the MLA from Colaba in south Mumbai said.
Purohit is also writing to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari to formally make a demand. Earlier, he had demanded that the name of the Marine Lines station on the Western Railway be changed to 'Mumbai Devi' station.
The Elphinstone station has been renamed to Prabhadevi, the name of a local deity in the area; Oshiwara has been rechristened Ram Mandir. The Victoria Terminus that was known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) is now named as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).
Published 14 June 2017, 13:15 IST