Congress agitation continues to retain name of Indira Bhavan

The Congress in West Bengal on Tuesday threatened to expand its agitation against renaming the Indira Bhavan at Salt Lake by the government and demanded that it be developed as a memorial and museum devoted to the life and times of Indira Gandhi.

WBPCC president Pradip Bhattacharya, however, expressed hope that the Mamata Banerjee government would desist from the move to rename the Indira Bhavan after revolutionary poet Kavi Nazrul Islam.

Bhattacharya was speaking during an agitation staged by the Youth Congress, led by party MP Mausam Noor, on the issue near Birla Planetarium in south Kolkata.

Bhattacharya felt the issue involved sentiments of party workers, saying ''If this is not done, we shall intensify our agitation statewide.''

He said that mere assurance by Mamata Banerjee not to go ahead with renaming the Bhavan, official residence of former chief minister Jyoti Basu, would not do; the Congress wanted a 'written' assurance.

The chief minister recently said the bungalow, where late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi stayed during the Congress session in 1972 and hence named Indira Bhavan, would be turned into a museum and a research centre devoted to Kavi Nazrul Islam.

She said the Nazrul Bhavan would comprise a research centre and museum on the great rebel poet who had a memorable involvement in the country's freedom movement.

After the death of Jyoti Basu, the previous Left Front government had decided to convert it into a government guest house.