Port Blair Renamed 'Sri Vijaya Puram': A Tribute to Freedom Struggle

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale welcomed the renaming of Port Blair to Sri Vijaya Puram, recognizing it as a tribute to India's freedom fighters. He also criticized Rahul Gandhi for his recent anti-reservation statements. Home Minister Amit Shah announced the name change to shed colonial legacies.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Friday praised the Centre's decision to rename Port Blair as Sri Vijaya Puram, calling it a tribute to the nation's freedom struggle. 'Port Blair was a colonial name. The new name, Sri Vijaya Puram, commemorates the freedom struggle. This decision by Amit Shah is a welcome step,' Athawale told ANI.

Athawale also criticized Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, over his recent anti-reservation statements in the United States. 'Rahul Gandhi has been a good friend for many years. I was unaware he would speak against reservation during his U.S. visit. His comments have violated the Constitution,' Athawale told reporters in Delhi.

On September 9, Gandhi stated that the Congress party would consider scrapping reservations when India becomes a 'fair place,' during an interaction at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that Andaman and Nicobar Island's capital, Port Blair, has been renamed as 'Sri Vijaya Puram.'

Shah emphasized that the old name carried colonial baggage, while the new name highlights the victory in the freedom struggle. 'Inspired by PM Narendra Modi's vision to remove colonial imprints, today we rename Port Blair as 'Sri Vijaya Puram.' The earlier name had a colonial legacy, but Sri Vijaya Puram symbolizes the victory in our freedom struggle and the unique role of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the same,' Shah posted on X.

'Andaman & Nicobar Islands hold a unique place in our freedom struggle and history. Originally a naval base of the Chola Empire, it now stands as a strategic and developmental hub. It's also where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose first unfurled our Tiranga, and the site of the cellular jail where Veer Savarkar and other freedom fighters were imprisoned,' he added.

(With inputs from agencies.)