HT DIGITAL
AGARTALA, JULY 8: Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury has come out vehemently in support of the state government’s move to rename Agartala Town Hall after Shyama Prasad Mookerjee. Addressing a gathering at the BJP headquarters, Chowdhury made it clear that the action had not been taken by the Chief Minister unilaterally but was a long-standing demand of the BJP, following thorough consultations.
“The government had extensive deliberations and took into account the opinion of all concerned before making this decision,” Chowdhury informed the press. He blamed opposition parties, especially the CPI(M), for trying to deceive people by presenting the renaming as a unilateral move.
Related Posts:
Targeting CPIM leader Jitendra Chaudhury, who lashed out at the renaming, Chowdhury stated, “Many town halls across the globe have been named after great personalities. This is not new or unheard of.” He further added that the land for the Town Hall was donated by the royal family itself, but that the earlier CPI(M) government did not honor the legacy of the monarchy or preserve historical buildings.
Justifying further, Chowdhury said, “Shyama Prasad Mookerjee sacrificed his life for India’s unity. If other Tripura public buildings can be named after Marxist leaders and even foreign intellectuals like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, then why not a nationalist like Mookerjee?”
He referred to the instances like the Dasarath Deb Stadium, Kamalpur Hospital (renamed after Bimal Sinha), and Kailashahar College (named after Baidyanath Majumder) to emphasize the naming patterns of the previous government. “We are not removing the name ‘Town Hall.’ We are just adding Shyama Prasad Mookerjee’s name before it,” he explained.
Countering criticism from Tipra Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma, Chowdhury underlined that the BJP has been inclusive while acknowledging indigenous culture and leaders, such as their honor of Kokborok place names and Maharaja Bir Bikram. “This is also in the same spirit—saluting national icons, not political opportunism,” he said. Agartala Mayor Dipak Majumder also seconded the move, saying, “There’s no rule against naming public infrastructure after national figures. Unlike the CPI(M), which named assets after polarizing ideologues, we are honoring someone who stood for the integrity of the nation.”
