Delhi's Ramlila Maidan may be renamed to honour Atal Bihari Vajpayee

A charismatic orator, Atal Bihari Vajpayee drew massive crowds every time he would visit the Ramlila Ground.

File photo

New Delhi: The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has proposed that the city's Ramlila Maidan be renamed after former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee.

Vajpayee passed away at the age of 93 on August 16 after being under the medical care of a team of doctors at AIIMS. There was a national outpouring of grief with messages of condolences coming in from the international community as well. Now, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation has expressed a desire to honour the iconic leader.

The iconic Ramlila Maidan has been the home for the annual Ramlila and has also played host to numerous political rallies, meetings, festivals and entertainment events. Vajpayee, a superb orator, drew massive crowds at the grounds each time he visited here.

There are several similar moves to pay tribute to the BJP stalwart who became the country's 10th Prime Minister. For instance, the Jharkhand government has proposed to rename several places in the state to honour Vajpayee. Chhattisgarh's new capital of Naya Raipur is set to be renamed Atal Nagar. Uttar Pradesh too had earlier decided to immerse the ashes of Vajpayee in all the holy rivers of the state, in a bid to pay respect to the five-time Member of Parliament (MP) from Lucknow.