BJP, Congress Bicker After Assam Tiger Reserve Sheds Rajiv Gandhi Name

The Assam cabinet passed a resolution to rename Rajiv Gandhi National Park at Orang to Orang National Park on Wednesday.

The Congress and the BJP are at odds in Assam after yesterday's state cabinet decision to remove former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's name from a national park in Assam. On Wednesday, the Assam cabinet passed a resolution to rename Rajiv Gandhi National Park at Orang to Orang National Park. The park has one of the highest concentrations of Royal Bengal Tigers in the country. The state government said the decision has been taken after several organisations approached the state government urging for a name change. The Assam BJP has attacked the Congress, questioning the number of institutions named after the party's Nehru-Gandhi family and whether the people of India would have accepted if the Taj Mahal or the Qutub Minar was named after them. The Congress has hit back saying the actions reeked of pettiness. "It was a long pending demand that Orang National Park should get back its original name so after this cabinet decision, people are largely happy but only the Congress and some of its leaders like Gaurav Gogoi are unhappy. Each and everything of this country, should be named after one dynasty? Will people like it if the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar were named after Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi? We have deep respect for the former Prime Minister but people are happy here with the name change," Pabitra Margherita, BJP spokesperson, said.