Yogi Adityanath To Rename ‘Mughal Museum’ To ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum’
Questioning “how Mughals can be our heroes”, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday decided to name the upcoming “Mughal Museum” in Agra after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, adding that the Maratha ruler’s name “will invoke a feeling of nationalism and self-esteem”. The decision was taken at a review meeting of development works of Agra division.
“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced to name the under-construction Mughal Museum in Agra after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He made it clear that his government always nurtured the nationalist ideology and anything which smacks of subservient mentality will be done away with,” a government spokesperson said.
“How can our heroes be Mughals?” he pointed out, saying “the very name of Shivaji will invoke a feeling of nationalism and self-esteem”.
The foundation stone for the Mughal Museum in Agra was laid by the then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in January 2016 along with projects like Agra Heritage Center, Taj Orientation Center among others.
The museum, proposed to come up on about 6 acres of land near the eastern gate of Taj Mahal, was conceived to apprise tourists about the Mughal era’s weapons, culture and dresses among others.
While officials did not clarify how the name change would have an impact on the nature of the project, sources said that with the Chief Minister changing the museum’s name and stressing that “Mughals cannot be our heroes”, the nature of the project is likely to change too.
Column| Anti-national nationalism
In the review meeting, the Chief Minister also took stock of projects worth over Rs 10 crore in Agra division, comprising Agra, Firozabad, Mainpuri and Mathura districts. Both the Deputy CMs — Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma — along with Rural Development Minister Moti Singh were present in the meeting, which was conducted through video-conferencing.
The CM also assured Mathura MP Hema Malini that her demands of building a stadium, a central school, repair of roads and starting the operations of Chhata sugar mill, will be met.
Source: Indian Express
