Gehlot slams BJP over renaming of Jaipur landmarks, calls it 'politics of guilt'

Jaipur, Nov 10 (PTI) Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday accused the state BJP government of engaging in "politics of guilt" by proposed renaming of Jaipur's Central Park after his predecessor, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, and the Bharat Jodo Setu after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Gehlot said the move reflected the BJP's "attempt to erase the Congress government's legacy," and said that both projects were developed during his tenure.

"If the BJP truly wanted to honour Shekhawat and Patel, it should have named new infrastructure projects after them instead of renaming Congress initiatives," he said in a post on X.

Gehlot alleged that during Shekhawat's rule, the land for the Central Park was being allotted to jewellers and later considered for a golf club, and the moves were opposed by the Congress before it developed it as a public park.

Gehlot said the government was renaming the Bharat Jodo Setu after Patel to cover up the criticism the BJP drew after renaming Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Stadium as the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Gehlot also questioned naming city landmarks after RSS ideologues K B Hedgewar and M S Golwalkar. "The people of Jaipur want to know what contribution these individuals made to nation-building." PTI AG VN VN