After former Okhla MLA Asif Mohammed tried to name a road in the area after Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, the present AAP MLA has written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressing his dissent over renaming the ‘original’ road in Lutyens’ Delhi after former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

In his letter addressed to Mr. Kejriwal, Amanatullah had said that the AAP government could’ve renamed one of the three roads within the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) jurisdiction – Chelmsford Road, Hailey Road and Minto Road - as these were named after the British rulers. “I request you to kindly reconsider renaming Aurangzeb Road and choose one of the three roads instead,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Mr. Asif on Thursday placed 10 more boards on the road between Okhla and Kalindi Kunj with ‘Aurangzeb Road’ written on those to ensure that nobody removes those. But the AAP MLA said that he isn’t with him on this and in fact, condemns what Mr. Asif has done.

“What he did is wrong and this will dent the image of the entire community.”

Not just Okhla MLA, even Delhi Cantonment MLA Surinder Singh at the NDMC meeting had then raised the question over renaming Aurangzeb Road.

“Some of us asked it in the meeting that roads such as Shanti Path could be renamed, but the earlier proposal was cleared.”

South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Subhash Arya said on Thursday that renaming the road between Kalindi Kunj and Jamia Nagar was illegal. Naming roads, buildings and parks under the jurisdiction, not just ownership, of the corporation has to be approved by the Naming and Renaming Committee.

“We don’t name roads after oppressors like Aurangzeb. Also, the former MLA has no authority to do so as the area, Jamia Nagar, comes under the jurisdiction of the SDMC,” said Mr. Arya.

He said that officials have been asked to find under whose jurisdiction the road comes and if it is within the SDMC then the boards will be removed.

However, the area MLA said that the road is with Uttar Pradesh’s Flood and Irrigation Department.