Road rage | Politics of renaming a street in Bengal
The renaming of Suhrawardy Avenue to Gopal Mukherjee Road in Kolkata has sparked political controversy in West Bengal ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. The move reflects the BJP's efforts to reshape historical narratives regarding the 1946 Great Calcutta Killings.
Why it matters
Street naming in India often serves as a proxy for broader ideological battles, reflecting the ongoing struggle to define national and regional historical legacies.
A blue and white metal pole, about 2.5 metres tall, with a freshly painted green coloured signboard stands at the edge of the street leading eastward from Park Circus 7 Point Crossing in Kolkata. Not more than a dozen houses stand on the left side of the street. On the right side is the Park Circus Maidan, which was the epicentre of the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act, protests a few years ago.
The article focuses on the BJP's political strategy and historical revisionism, which is a common critique of the party's cultural policies.
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