Agra's Mughal Museum is now Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has announced the decision to change the name of the under-construction Mughal Museum in Agra after Chhatrapati Shivaji. The museum will also house artefacts from Braj region of Uttar Pradesh.

Agra: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while reviewing the status of works going on in the Agra Division through video conferencing, made an announcement to change the name of Mughal Museum. After considering the increasing costs and deadline of the under-construction museum in Agra, Adityanath said that the facility would be named after Chhatrapati Shivaji

Everyone was surprised by this sudden announcement of Chief Minister Adityanath to change the name of the Mughal Museum to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The political circle was abuzz with a discussion that since then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had approved the construction of the Mughal Museum in 2015 the BJP government is changing its name. The foundation stone of the museum had been laid by Akhilesh Yadav on January 5, 2016.

WHY MUSEUM’S NAME WAS SUDDENLY CHANGED

There is a five-year-old story behind this change in the museum’s name. The Mughal Museum was announced by then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in 2015. Agra’s famous historian Rajkishore Raje had formally raised his objections to its name. In a conversation with ETV Bharat, Raje said that on May 28, 2015, he had also sent historical documents in this context to Chief Minister Yadav and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Raje had sent a proposal to name the museum as Agrawan Museum or Agra Museum. Later, he demanded that the museum should be named after Chhatrapati Shivaji. Apart from him, many enlightened people of the city had also objected to the name of the Mughal Museum. These objections remained confined to files for five years.

“Aligarh Muslim University published Babarnama in 1960. Babar has criticized the Moghuls according to pages -- 504 and 542 -- of this book. According to Babarnama, Babur and Humayun refused to consider themselves as Moghuls. In this case, how can their descendants be Moghuls? That is why I lodged an objection to the name of the Mughal Museum,” said Rajkishore Raje, the historian of Agra, who lodged an objection to naming the museum as the Mughal Museum.

“From his father’s side, Babar is a Turk and a Mongolian from the mother’s side. Babar and his heirs were not Moghuls. Agra was not rehabilitated by Babar and his descendants. He only made Agra the capital of his kingdom. Sikandar Lodi first brought Agra under his control. The Moghuls do not have any contribution to the development of Agra,” added historian Rajkishore Raje.

CM HIMSELF EXPLAINED THE REASON FOR THE CHANGE

Giving information about the reason for changing the name, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the symbols of slave mentality have no place in the new Uttar Pradesh. Our hero is Shivaji Maharaj. Putting forth his government’s ideology, he said that his government has always nurtured the nationalist ideology. Chief Minister Yogi asked how the Moghuls can be our hero. Shivaji's name will make us feel proud of a sense of nationalism and self-respect.

WHY CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ?

According to the Archeological Survey of India, the proposed museum on 5.9 acres of land is 1300 meters away from the Taj Mahal. It is not yet decided what items related to Shivaji Maharaj will be kept in the museum to be built with makrana marble. But this museum will have historical items associated with Agra. Historian Rajkishore Raje argues that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was imprisoned by Aurangzeb and kept in the Agra Fort. But Shivaji shrewdly escaped from captivity and continued to challenge the might of Moghuls. It is not, therefore, commendable to name the museum after Shivaji Maharaj.

ANY CONNECTION WITH MAHARASHTRA POLITICS?

These days, the BJP and the Shiv Sena are at two different ends in Maharashtra politics. It is discussed that Kangana Ranaut is constantly challenging the Shiv Sena with the support of BJP. Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar are Maratha leaders. In such a situation, is the Bharatiya Janata Party trying to give a political message from Uttar Pradesh through the Shivaji Museum? When we asked this question, political analyst PN Dwivedi in a conversation with ETV Bharat, said that changing the name of the museum will not affect the politics of Maharashtra. The BJP will not get any benefit from this and the BJP does not even want to take any advantage.

However, political expert Rameshwar Pandey says that whenever the government takes a decision, there is an element of politics in it. The name of Maharana Pratap and Chhatrapati Shivaji has dropped as and when there are speeches in Uttar Pradesh. The sentiment of the common Hindu is associated with Shivaji Maharaj and other countrymen as well. Changing the museum’s name at this time has been done keeping the vote bank in mind. The process of changing the name is endless. There are many buildings all over the country in the name of British and Moghuls. This will also become a cause of tension. Those opposing it are also politically motivated.

MUSLIM ULAMAS PROTEST

Muslims are angry with the renaming of the Mughal Museum. Deobandi Ulema and Muslim religion Guru Mufti Asad Kasami has urged Chief Minister Yogi if he is ready to change the name of so many things in the country. He has cautioned that changing the name of buildings named after great men will only lead to cracks in our mutual brotherhood. He advised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that instead of changing the name, he should focus on addressing the problem of unemployment and law and order in the state.

POLITICAL PARTIES ALSO OPPOSE THE MOVE

The Congress and the Samajwadi Party have also opposed the move to change the name of the museum. In a conversation with ETV Bharat, Congress leader Anshu Awasthi targeted the Yogi Government of the state. He said that the BJP government can only change the name. It can never follow the footsteps of Veer Shivaji Maharaj. Changing the name of the museum in Agra is a reflection of the BJP’s poor thinking and petty politics. He said that the BJP should change its mind more than changing the name. It should take the poison out of its mind, which the BJP is spreading in the society.

Samajwadi Party leader and former minister Manoj Pandey said that the Yogi Government has changed the name of many places. What message does the government want to give by changing the name? It is not clear. The Bharatiya Janata Party has done the work of changing the name only and putting up a stone slab. No creative work and new development work can be expected from this government.