West Bengal Prepares to Rename Streets in Kolkata Currently Named After Marx, Lenin, and Ho Chi Minh

The West Bengal government has formed a 10-member committee to review the renaming of streets and public places in Kolkata that are currently named after Marx, Lenin, and Ho Chi Minh. After the Durga Puja festival, the committee will hold a meeting and submit recommendations based on Indian and Bengali history, culture, and heritage. Committee member and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tathagat Roy has proposed renaming Lenin Sarani to Devaprasad Ghosh, Karl Marx Sarani to either Michael Madhusudan Dutt or Rangalal Bandyopadhyay, and Ho Chi Minh Sarani to Martin Luther King Jr.

The West Bengal government in India has initiated preparations to rename roads, bridges, and public places in Kolkata that bear the names of Marx, Lenin, and Ho Chi Minh. To study proposals related to naming and renaming these roads and public sites, the state government has established a 10-member advisory committee. The committee is chaired by Swami Pradiptanand, also known as Kartik Maharaj. Its members include former Meghalaya Governor Tathagat Roy, Chief Minister’s advisor Subrata Gupta, Kolkata Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey, among other officials.

According to committee chairperson Pradiptanand, various proposals have been received regarding renaming the roads named after Lenin, Karl Marx, and Ho Chi Minh. The committee will also examine the connections between these personalities and Indian and Bengali history, culture, and heritage. The committee’s first meeting is scheduled after Durga Puja, after which it will forward its recommendations to the appropriate authorities.

One proposal is to rename Lenin Sarani after Devaprasad Ghosh, a mathematician and former head of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, suggested by committee member Tathagat Roy. For Karl Marx Sarani, located in Kolkata’s Khidirpur area, it has been proposed to rename the street after famed 19th-century Bengali poets Michael Madhusudan Dutt or Rangalal Bandyopadhyay. There is also a proposal to rename Ho Chi Minh Sarani after Martin Luther King Jr. Tathagat Roy emphasized that no final decision has been made so far.