Tughlaq Lane or Swami Vivekananda Marg: Renaming roads demand intensify as BJP leaders honour visionary Hindu monk

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dinesh Sharma and Union Minister Krishan Pal Gurjar have prominently displayed Swami Vivekananda Marg on their official nameplates at their residences in the national capital. This has fueled speculation about a larger renaming initiative by the party.

Sharma, BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP and former Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister, recently held ‘Griha Pravesh’ (housewarming) ceremony at his newly allotted residence. During the ceremony, he prominently displayed the name Swami Vivekananda Marg, with “Tughlaq Lane” mentioned in brackets below.

“Today, at the new residence located in New Delhi on Swami Vivekananda Marg (Tughlaq Lane), I performed the housewarming ceremony with my family, following all the rituals and offering prayers,” Sharma posted on X, along with pictures of the event.

When questioned about the change, Sharma clarified that the name Swami Vivekananda Marg appears on Google Maps for the location.

“If you look properly, Tughlaq Lane is also written on my nameplate. No MP can change the names of the roads. There is a proper authority for it,” he told.

This move comes amid growing demands by BJP leaders to rename key areas of Delhi, particularly those linked to barbaric Mughal tyrants and other Islamic invaders. In recent weeks, BJP leaders have proposed renaming Mustafabad to Shivpuri and Najafgarh to Nahargarh. Similar changes have been made in the past, including the renaming of Aurangzeb Road to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road in 2015 and Race Course Road to Lok Kalyan Marg in 2016.

Notably, Krishan Pal Gurjar, the BJP MP from Faridabad and Minister of State for Cooperation and neighbour to Sharma has also followed suit by changing the address on his nameplate in a similar manner. Another bungalow on Tughlaq Lane, Bungalow No. 10, has also reportedly undergone the same modification, further fueling speculation about a coordinated renaming effort.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which has jurisdiction over central Delhi roads, is the sole authority that approves official name changes. As per the procedure, renaming requests must be presented before the 13-member NDMC council and should consider historical relevance, public sentiment, and the significance of the proposed name. So far, there has been no official confirmation of an administrative renaming of Tughlaq Lane as Swami Vivekananda Marg.

With the BJP recently securing a strong electoral mandate in Delhi, speculation continues about potential further renaming efforts in the capital. The BJP is bound to bring cultural pride by reinforcing the legacy of other important and social leaders and removing controversial names of those who have done wrong to Indian society during their reigns, such as Aurangzeb and Tughlaq.