It is pretty common to name streets and roads after freedom fighters, politicians, and even our colonisers. Some time ago, a street in Tenkasi that was named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi went viral on social media.
Over the weekend, Tamil Nadu BJP Secretary SG Suryah shared a photo of himself standing next to the name board of this street in Tenkasi on Twitter.
தென்காசியில் மாண்புமிகு பாரதப்பிரதமர் நரேந்திர மோடி தெரு.
@ Honourable PM Narendra Modi Street, #Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu. pic.twitter.com/qi82tSCB59
— SG Suryah (@SuryahSG) March 12, 2023
This seems to have been noticed by the administration and by the next morning, it was noted that corporation staff was seen uprooting the board. It is not known who named the street so and exactly when it happened.
சகோதரர் @SuryahSG அவர்கள் “நரேந்திர மோடி” தெரு பற்றி பதிவு செய்த ஒரு சில மணி நேரத்தில் அந்த போர்டை நீக்க ஆட்களை அனுப்பியுள்ளது செங்கோட்டை பேருராட்சி.
ஒரு போர்டு வைத்தால் கூட பதறுகிறது திராவிட மாடல் ஆட்சி ! pic.twitter.com/ExIccmgsvm
— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) March 13, 2023
This comes as an irony because there are plenty of such streets and localities named after M Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister of the state, even when he was in power. The East Coast Road was renamed “Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar Karunanidhi Salai” last year by the current Chief Minister, MK Stalin.
There was also an attempt to name Manakkalam Street in Karur (Ward 36) after Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of the current Chief Minister but was later withdrawn by the corporation.
The DMK government tried renaming ‘South Car Street’ in Thiruvarur after late former CM Karunanidhi but withdrew after severe resistance from public.
It is to be noted that removing name boards and renaming streets and localities is not happening for the first time by the DMK government. As soon as they came to power, the DMK ensured that welfare schemes started by the previous AIADMK government under J Jayalalithaa, such as Amma Unavagam (canteens) formulated by her in 2013, were shut down and stripped of their name. There was a buzz that it would be renamed Kalaignar Unavagam canteen but it did not happen so far. Many Amma canteens and Amma clinic were shut down after the DMK government came to power.
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