Sabarmati: Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC)’s Standing Committee early this week announced its decision to name city’s Parimal under bridge after former Speaker of Gujarat Assembly Dhirubhai Shah. The Chairman of Standing Committee, Amul Bhatt had made this announcement in a video clip released for media. However the fact has emerged that this particular under bridge had been already named after Bhagini Nivedita in April 2011 when it was inaugurated by BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani in presence of Narendra Modi. The question therefore arises whether the AMC was unaware about the name already given to this underbridge? Or is it that the AMC wants to replace the name of Bhagini Nivedita with Dhirubhai Shah even when earlier name was given under the tenure of then Chief Minister Narendra Modi and plaque was unveiled in his presence by senior BJP leader LK Advani?

(Opinion part) This lapse indicates a lot about the decision makers sitting in the elected body of AMC. This also indicates that rulers themselves forget the names given by them to scores of under bridges just a few years back. Dhirubhai Shah was not a big shot and there’s hardly any contribution for which an under bridge in the city should be named after him. He was an average MLA from Rapar in Kutch. If BJP ruled body thought to give him recognition because he was Jain and Parimal Garden area is Jain populated then that’s a case of appeasement. The names given by rulers anyway hardly matter, as people continue to identify the bridges by their popular names. So whatever is the name on the plaque, Parimal under bridge remains Parimal under bridge. DeshGujarat

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