The Name Game
Every time we pray for a game-changing Government, we seem to end up with a name-changing one — more focused on swapping plaques than shaping policies.
When Congress holds power, renaming seems to revolve around the Gandhi family. Roads, airports, institutions and even national parks morph into tributes to the dynasty.
Karnataka’s Nagarahole National Park, steeped in its own historical narrative, became Rajiv Gandhi National Park. Even basic utilities like water and electricity were branded with Gandhi names, as though Indians owed perpetual gratitude to their new ‘benevolent’ rulers — ironic since all these services were taxpayer-funded in a new ‘democratic’ India.
The BJP, in turn, engages in its own renaming crusade, rolling back Congress-era names or rebranding with its ideological icons. The result? A never-ending cycle of identity politics that reduces even a road to a political branding issue.
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