Raj govt move to change name of Rajiv Gandhi seva kendras violates HC order: Sanyam Lodha

Jaipur, Nov 12 (PTI) The Rajasthan government has violated a high court order by removing the name of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from 'Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendras', former chief minister Ashok Gehlot's advisor Sanyam Lodha said on Wednesday.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary (Rural Development), and Secretary (Rural Development), Lodha said the state government's move to rename the centres as 'Bharat Nirman Seva Kendras' is a "deliberate contempt of court." He said that in 2018, the Rajasthan High Court quashed the previous BJP government's decision to rename the Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendras as Atal Seva Kendras. The Congress government restored the original name in 2019, in compliance with the court's directive, he said.

Lodha alleged that a new government order, issued on September 19, 2025 under the pretext of renovating and repainting the centres, was being used as a cover to erase Rajiv Gandhi's name.

"This is a clear and deliberate contempt of the high court's order and a violation of legal provisions," Lodha stated.

He demanded that the government immediately reinstate the original name on all such centres.

The controversy over naming the centres dates back to 2014, when the then Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government renamed them as Atal Seva Kendras. Lodha had challenged the move in the high court, which ruled in 2018 that Rajiv Gandhi's name be retained. PTI AG RUK RUK RUK