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Journalism of Courage
In a tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Vasundhara Raje government issued a notification to rename all Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra and Jan Suvidha Kendra in the state as Atal Seva and Suvidha Kendra respectively. Soon after the announcement of the Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee, chief minister Raje lauded the decision and announced her tribute to the BJP stalwart.
Though the ruling BJP government soon after coming to power had announced on several occasions that such a move was being planned, the final directive was issued on the eve of Vajpayee’s 90th birthday. Henceforth 33 Jan Suvidha Kendra, 245 Seva Kendra at panchayat samitis and 9000 Seva Kendra in gram panchayats that were started by the previous Congress government and named after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi will have new signboards.
The renaming has not gone down well with the Opposition Congress in the state that slammed the Raje government for such a ‘regressive’ move. “It is sheer unimaginative on part of the state government to replace the name of one former PM by another. If they really wanted to pay a tribute to their leader they should have started something new in his name and not renamed the existing centers. Rajiv Gandhi had ushered in a technology revolution in the country and it was most apt to name these centers after him,” Sachin Pilot, state president of Pradesh Congress Committee told the Indian Express.
Responding to the charges, BJP spokesperson Kailash Nath Bhatt said, “We have nothing against Rajiv Gandhi but the Congress had gone overboard naming all schemes and initiatives after Indira and Rajiv Gandhi alone. It was their mistake and we are merely rectifying it. People in large numbers have appreciated the move. Let some of the schemes and places be named after other tall leaders too. Why should only Indira and Rajiv Gandhi be glorified?”
The Seva and Suvidha Kendra are centers in villages that are being used as spaces for filing applications for job cards, complaints, NREGA, muster roll scrutiny and other information technology related work. The centers have served as an important spot for grievance redressal and during the Ashok Gehlot government names of beneficiaries under Indira Awas Yojana or Chief Minister Housing Scheme and other major schemes were written on the walls of the center’s building for ensure transparency and convenience.
