Opposition and cultural groups oppose Tripura government's move to rename Agartala Town Hall after Syama Prasad Mookerjee

Opposition parties CPI (M) and the Congress on Monday opposed the BJP government’s decision to rename the four-decade-old Town Hall here after Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

In 1913, the then king of the erstwhile princely state constructed a guest house adjacent to the Ujjayanta Palace, the headquarters of the royal dynasty till October 1949, when Tripura merged with the Indian Union.

In 1984-85, the then-Left Front government demolished the royal guest house and constructed the Agartala Town Hall.

While addressing a function on the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee on Sunday, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha announced two awards in honour of Syama Prasad Mookerjee and declared that the Agartala Town Hall would be renamed after him and a marble statue would be installed.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jitendra Chaudhury, who is also the State Secretary of the CPI (M), said that most state capitals in the country have a town hall, and it has been a long-standing tradition in capital cities across India.

He said that the Agartala Town Hall was inaugurated by the then Vice-President R. Venkataraman (who later became the 8th President of India) on April 25, 1985, and the Town Hall is associated with many historical events.

“The BJP government can construct a new hall or any big building and rename them after Syama Prasad Mookerjee. People will not accept the decision of the state government to rename Town Hall after Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. We do not oppose renaming any hospital or any school after Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee,” Chaudhury, who is also a former minister, told the media.

Tripura Congress President Asish Kumar Saha also opposed the Chief Minister's announcement. "We strongly oppose the government's plan to rename the Town Hall after Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
The Congress is not against naming any structure after him, but it should be done after constructing a big auditorium or another institution in the city," said Saha, a former MLA.

Some cultural organisations also protested the government's decision.

‘Aawaj’ President and writer Samir Dhar said that in Agartala, considering the number of cultural, literary, political and non-political events, a few more auditoriums must be constructed, and their names can be given after Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee without renaming the Agartala Town hall.