Union Home Minister Amit Shah today announced that the government has renamed Port Blair as 'Sri Vijay Puram' in a bid to get rid of colonial imprint. Shah took to social media platform X to inform about the decision.
"Inspired by the vision of PM Narendra Modi to free the nation from the colonial imprints, today we have decided to rename Port Blair as "Sri Vijaya Puram." While the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle and the A&N Islands' unique role in the same," said Shah.
The Union Home Minister further added that Andaman & Nicobar Islands have an unparalleled place in India's freedom struggle and history. "The island territory that once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire is today poised to be the critical base for our strategic and development aspirations. It is also the place that hosted the first unfurling of our Tiranga by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Ji and also the cellular jail in which Veer Savarkar Ji and other freedom fighters struggled for an independent nation," said Shah.
Inspired by the vision of PM @narendramodi Ji, to free the nation from the colonial imprints, today we have decided to rename Port Blair as "Sri Vijaya Puram."
While the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle…
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 13, 2024
The city was named in honor of Captain Archibald Blair, a British naval officer of the East India Company. It is well-known for the notorious Cellular Jail National Memorial, a former prison where numerous freedom fighters and individuals from other nations were once held captive.
This is not the first time that a name of the city or district has been changed by the BJP government. Earlier, the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh had changed the name of many places and railway stations to restore their old names.
