Delhi’s iconic Akbar Road briefly ‘renamed’ after Maharana Pratap

New Delhi: People from India Gate taking turn towards Delhi's Akbar Road were taken by surprise on Wednesday.

With trees lining its street, Akbar Road is one of the most breathtaking in the national capital. However, albeit briefly, it was "renamed" ‘Maharana Pratap Road’ as a signboard covered it overnight with the new name.

The yellow and pink poster, apparently put up by vandals, has been removed from the signboard under police supervision.

The iconic road, named after Mughal emperor Akbar, is home to some of the top politicians in the country and also the Congress party headquarters.

Today is the birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap, a renowned king from Rajasthan who went into battle with Akbar in 1576.

In 2016, a BJP leader said he had proposed to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the civic body in charge of central Delhi, that the road should be renamed after Maharana Pratap.

In 2015, the civic body had changed the name of another prominent road named after Akbar's great-grandson Aurangzeb, whose legacy is far from glorious.

Aurangzeb Road became Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road after the former president and missile man who died in 2015.

In the same year, Union Minister VK Singh had written to the government suggesting that Akbar Road or any other road in Lutyen's Delhi be renamed after Maharana Pratap.

Then Union Minister for Urban Development, Venkaiah Naidu had said the government was "not involved" in such proposals and added that its focus was on development, not naming and renaming of streets.

After a year, in 2016, the Prime Minister's street, Race Course Road or RCR, was changed to Lok Kalyan Marg.

(With ANI inputs)