New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said that if India had followed the path shown by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, then it would have reached new heights and asserted that the Rajpath, a symbol of “slavery” during the British Raj had now been consigned to history.
Speaking after unveiling a 28-feet statue of Netaji and inaugurating Kartavya Path, the stretch of road from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate earlier known as Rajpath, Modi said the renaming had given the country new energy and inspiration.
He said that Kingsway or Rajpath, a symbol of slavery, has now been consigned to history and had been erased forever.
“If India had followed the path shown by Subhas Chandra Bose, then the country would have reached a new high. Sadly he was forgotten,” Modi said. “Netaji’s statue at India Gate would now inspire and guide us.”
The revamped stretch is part of the Modi government’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project.
“We took many decisions in the last eight years which have imprints of Netaji’s ideals and dreams,” he said.
Modi said that the changes undertaken by the government were not just limited to symbols but were now part of policies.
He thanked workers involved in the development of the Kartavya Path and said that they not only built it but also showed others a way of ‘kartavya’ (duty).
“During the British era, there was a statue of King George V installed under the canopy situated behind India Gate. This now has been replaced with Netaji’s statue,” Modi said.
Minister for Urban Development Hardeep Singh Puri and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy were present with Modi on the dais.
Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J P Nadda along with several other cabinet ministers were also present on the occasion