Declaring that “a symbol of slavery has now been consigned to history”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the revamped ‘Rajpath’, which has been renamed as ‘Kartavya Path’ and unveiled a granite statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose beneath the grand canopy near India Gate. The entire area was bathed in colourful lights and shades, giving the 1.8 km stretch of the Central Vista Avenue a festive look. After unveiling Netaji’s statue, Modi said, “If India had followed the path shown by Subhas Chandra Bose, then the country would have reached a new high, sadly he was forgotten.”
“Netaji’s statue at India Gate will now inspire and guide us. We took many decisions in the last eight years which have imprints of Netaji’s ideals and dreams,” said Modi.
He said, “Kingsway or Rajpath, a symbol of slavery, has now been consigned to history and has been erased forever.” The Prime Minister further maintained that “Rajpath was for the British Raj to whom Indians were slaves, now its architecture as well as spirit, have changed.”
Taking on the Opposition’s criticism of the project the Prime Minister said, “People who were after the Central Vista project would be conveniently quiet on the launch of the new Defence offices complex in Delhi, which is also part of the Central Vista … they knew their falsity would be exposed.” The Defence enclave would play a pivotal role in national security, he added.
The newly done-up area on both sides of the ‘Kartavya Path’ was shining with lights gleaming around the roundabouts, India Gate and the canopy hosting the 28-feet-tall black granite statue of Bose. While the length of the entire area is 1.8 km, the width is 12 metres and the red granite footpath on both sides has a width of 4.2 metres.