Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], November 15 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for renaming Sarai Kale Khan Chowk near Delhi's ISBT terminal as Birsa Munda Chowk, calling it a "proud day."
"I thank the prime minister and congratulate everyone. It's a proud day and a momentous decision for the entire country," said CM Dhami.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister of Urban Development Manohar Lal Khattar announced that Sarai Kale Khan Chowk would henceforth be known as Birsa Munda Chowk.
The announcement coincided with the 150th birth anniversary of freedom fighter and tribal leader Bhagwan Birsa Munda.
"I am announcing today that the prominent chowk outside the ISBT bus terminal will be named after Bhagwan Birsa Munda. The sight of his statue and the chowk bearing his name will inspire not only Delhi's residents but also visitors to the International Bus Terminal," said Khattar.
The Union Minister emphasised that the decision was made to honour the freedom fighter and ensure that people visiting the area learn about his life and draw inspiration from it.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with Manohar Lal Khattar and Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, unveiled a statue of Bhagwan Birsa Munda in the national capital to mark his 150th birth anniversary.
Birsa Munda, a hero of India's tribal freedom struggle, played a key role in mobilising the tribal communities of the Chotanagpur region to fight for independence. He led the armed movement known as "Ulgulan" (The Great Rebellion) against British rule.
Belonging to the Munda tribe of the Chotanagpur Plateau, he spearheaded a tribal mass movement across the Bihar and Jharkhand regions during British colonisation. Munda galvanised the tribal population to resist the British government's land-grabbing policies, which led to the dispossession of tribal lands and their forced conversion into bonded labourers. He encouraged his people to assert their rights and reclaim their lands.
Birsa Munda also founded the Birsait faith, blending animism with indigenous beliefs, and advocated for the worship of a single god. Revered as a leader, he was affectionately called 'Dharti Aba' or 'Father of the Earth.' He died on June 9, 1900, at the age of 25.
In 2021, the Central Government declared November 15, Birsa Munda's birth anniversary, as 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.'