A road in West Bengal’s Birbhum district has triggered a political controversy after its long-standing name, ‘Netaji Subhas Road’, was replaced overnight with ‘Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee Road’. The new signboard was unveiled in Rampurhat in the presence of BJP MLA Dhruba Saha, even as the Trinamool Congress-run municipality maintains that it never approved the name change.
The nearly three-kilometre stretch from Panchmatha More to Jhunjhuniya Bridge in Rampurhat municipal area has been known as Netaji Subhas Road for years. A saffron-coloured signboard carrying the new name was recently installed along the road, prompting a political row.
BJP MLA Dhruba Saha was present at the unveiling of the new signboard. Rampurhat Municipality chairman Soumen Bhakat, who is from the Trinamool Congress, was also seen at the event.
However, Bhakat said the municipality had not authorised any change to the road’s name.
“The municipality has not given any approval to change the name of the road,” the chairman said.
Saha, meanwhile, claimed that the BJP had not found any municipal document formally recording the existing name of the road. He also maintained that the new name was announced in the presence of the municipal chairman.
The BJP MLA further insisted that the party respects Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
According to municipal sources, the BJP had submitted an application seeking to name the road after Syama Prasad Mukherjee. However, the proposal has reportedly not yet received approval from the municipal board.
Under the process cited by the municipality, a proposal for changing a road’s name must first be approved by the municipal board before being sent to the state administration for further approval. The chairman argued that a legislator cannot unilaterally change the official name of a road.
The development has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition.
The CPI(M) has submitted a deputation to the municipality and the subdivisional administration, demanding that the original name, Netaji Subhas Road, be restored. Posters featuring Netaji’s image have also appeared in Rampurhat.
Congress leader and state general secretary Milton Rashid also criticised the move, arguing that an MLA does not have the authority to rename a public road.
The Congress leader alleged that changing the name of a road associated with a national figure such as Netaji was both unjustified and illegal.
Responding to the criticism, Saha targeted the Left and defended the move.
“Netaji is in our hearts. We respect him. We will not take lessons from those in the CPI(M) who insulted Netaji both when he was alive and after his death,” the BJP MLA said.
The controversy has also been fuelled by the fact that several shops and the boards of government cooperative organisations along the road still carry the old name, ‘Netaji Subhas Road’.
This has raised further questions over whether the renaming has actually been completed through the legally prescribed process.
The Rampurhat controversy comes amid another political row over remarks made about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagen Roy, popularly known as Ananta Maharaj.
At a public meeting in Fulbari, Jalpaiguri, on Sunday, Ananta Maharaj questioned Netaji’s contribution to India’s independence and reportedly described him as a “traitor”. His remarks triggered criticism from the Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and other opposition parties, with questions being raised over the BJP leadership’s response.
On Tuesday, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, while paying tribute to Netaji at his statue in Shyambazar, criticised the BJP over the controversy.
“The BJP is insulting Netaji. We will not allow this national hero and freedom fighter to be disrespected,” Banerjee said.
With the Rampurhat road renaming now adding another layer to the debate, the political battle over Netaji’s legacy and his place in Bengal’s public life looks set to intensify.
