Bihar govt delays ‘Coconut Park’ inauguration over naming controversy

Patna (Bihar) [India], August 21 (ANI): The Bihar government finds itself in the midst of a controversy over the reported renaming of a park in Kankarbagh, Patna. It was alleged by the BJP that the state government has renamed the park which was named after former prime minister  Atal Bihar Vajpayee as ‘Coconut park’.

The inauguration of the park by deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav was scheduled for Monday. 

Mos Home Nityanand Rai questioned the decision of the Bihar government claiming that the state government was renaming the park “The park developed by the Bihar government in Kankarbagh in the name of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and has his idol is being renamed as Coconut Park.”

“Today, Tejashwi Yadav is going to inaugurate it. It is offensive to rename the park which was named after Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is almost equivalent to a crime. The nation and public will question Tejashwi Yadav,” Nityananad Rai said.

The state government immediately hit back at the BJP with environment minister Tejpratap Yadav accusing the BJP of spreading rumours. 

“It is named Coconut Park in official papers…Rumour is being spread that the park has been renamed…BJP people must have put up the board (of Atal Park)..”said Tejpratap Yadav. 

Finding itself caught in a controversy the state government postponed the park inauguration and initiated an inquiry into whether the park actually was named after former prime minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee. 

“For the time being, we have postponed the inauguration of the said park that was scheduled today. We have also asked the Patna Municipal Corporation to confirm if/when was the park notified as ‘Atal Park’,” said Bandana Preyashi, Secretary of the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bihar.