PM Narendra Modi's 7, Race Course Road residence in Delhi may be renamed

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 7, Race Course Road residence in Delhi may be renamed as 7, Ekatama Marg.

New Delhi: A proposal has been moved to rename the Race Course Road as Ekatama Marg.

If approved, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 7, Race Course Road residence in Delhi will be renamed as 7, Ekatama Marg.

The recommendation, made by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Meenakshi Lekhi on September 9, will be taken up on September 22 during the meeting of New Delhi Municipal Council.

In her proposal, Lekhi mentioned that the name `Race Course Road` does not match with the Indian culture.

She further suggested that since the nation is celebrating the birth centenary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya this year, the name change will take the philosophy of 'Ekatama' in the mind of public at large.

Upadhyay is remembered by his followers for his concept of 'antyodaya' (serving the last man in the queue) and 'ekatma' (integral humanism).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off Upadhyay's 100th birth anniversary celebrations on September 25.

Lekhi, who is a member of NDMC, said in her proposal to the civic body that as the residence of the Prime Minister is situated on Race Course Road, the new name - Ekatma Marg - would remind every PM about the last person of the society.

"(Lekhi) has, therefore, requested to rename Race Course Road under the NDMC area as Ekatma Marg so that this name would remind every Prime Minister about the last person of the society throughout life," stated an agenda of the Council Meeting of NDMC which is likely to take a decision in this regard tomorrow.

Lekhi, who is an MP from New Delhi, also cited the past cases of renaming of roads which fall under NDMC in her proposal submitted to the civic body on September 9.

Race Course Road was named after the Delhi race course, part of Delhi Race Club, established in 1940.

Top BJP leaders have often lamented that Upadhyay, whose death during a train journey in 1968 is shrouded in mystery, did not get the due recognition among the political stalwarts of modern India.

In August last year, Aurangzeb Road in Lutyens' Delhi had been renamed as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road in honour of the late president. NDMC had taken the decision after East Delhi BJP MP Maheish Girri proposed the move to "correct the mistakes made in our history". 

(With PTI inputs)