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HomeIndiaGovernanceModi govt to give Indian names to 3 Andaman islands

Modi govt to give Indian names to 3 Andaman islands

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Govt to rename Ross, Neil & Havelock islands as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep respectively in tribute to the freedom fighter.

New Delhi: The Modi government is continuing with its name-changing spree, with the government now deciding to rename Havelock Island to Swaraj Dweep, Neil Island to Shaheed Dweep and Ross Island to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island.

The three islands are part of the Andamans.

While the proposal has been cleared by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the announcement will be made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Port Blair on 30 December, to mark the 75th anniversary of Bose’s historic visit to the islands.

“The government has decided to announce the change of name for the three islands —Havelock Island, Neil Island and Ross Island — as a tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose,” a home ministry official said. “It will be announced along with other plans for the islands during PM’s visit at the end of this month.”

On 30 December 1943, Bose had hoisted the national flag at the Gymkhana Ground (now Netaji Stadium) in Port Blair and announced that the islands were the first Indian territory to be freed from British rule. The islands at the time were captured by the Japanese during World War II.

Bose had then named Andaman Island as Shaheed and Nicobar Island as Swaraj and had appointed INA general A.D. Loganathan as its governor.


Also read: Narendra Modi is a name-changer, not a game-changer: Shashi Tharoor


Decision a month after letter

The Modi government’s decision comes over a month after West Bengal BJP vice-president Chandra Kumar Bose, who is related to the freedom fighter, had written to the PM urging to him to rename the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as the ‘Shaheed and Swaraj Islands’.

In his letter dated 11 November, Chandra Kumar has described Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as “the first Prime Minister of United Free India”, who had hoisted the national flag at Port Blair establishing the Azad Hind government.

Thus, the letter states, the islands should be named in his honour.

“India is celebrating the 75th year of flag hoisting by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on December 30, 2018. It is very heartening to note that you (PM) would be hoisting the Tricolour at Gymkhana Grounds, Port Blair, exactly from the same location where the first Prime Minister of United India had unfurled the flag,” the letter reads.

“There has been a demand from the people of our great nation that the Government of India rename Andaman & Nicobar Islands as Shaheed & Swaraj Islands as named by Netaji.”


Also read:  Madhumala Chattopadhyay, the woman who made the Sentinelese put their arrows down


 

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7 COMMENTS

  1. Nothing wrong with report here.
    No bias as some ignorant folk accusing here.
    Ananya isn’t saying this is good or bad. Just stating that the names are being changed.
    To all the people criticizing the report blindly, I urge you focus your time and energy on pressing issues like our Human Development Index, Freedom Index, Happiness Index, Literacy rate scores of our Nation rather than bashing good journalism.
    Keep up the good work ThePrint.
    I am not White Knighting here, Journalists are capable of defending themselves; just giving my two cents.

    Disclaimer: I voted for BJP at National level and for TDP(Andhra) at local level in 2014 elections, due to many large-scale scams, corruption and poor governance from Congress Govt and decades of Congress govt. did not produce results of freedom, development and prosperity of India. If BJP is just another manifestation of corruption, ignorance and dogma instead of science, reason and human rights development, then people like will be left to look for Third parties.

  2. It is so sad, isn’t it? Havelock, Neil and Ross sound so grand compared to Swaraj, Shaheed, and Netaji Subhash. The Modi government is deleting our glorious history and culture. We owe so much to the British, who ruled over us, taught us what being civilized is, gave us democracy and of course the Indian Railways. They looted us, but also caused us to learn the English Language so that future generations of Indians could get employed in the IT Enabled Services sector. Note the IT which stands for Information Technology, and the use of ITES which is but a euphemism for a telephone operator. I am ashamed and hang my head in shame.

    Disclaimer : I am somewhat inclined towards the present regime.

  3. NDA govt. has done a good job by giving Indian names to these three islands. I am surprised how Nehru Gandhi dynasty has forgotten to assign their own names (after J L Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi etc) to these islands.

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