States » NorthPosted at: Oct 8 2026 7:11PM


Chhattisgarh: ‘Seva Jyoti Sankalp Chowk’ plan sparks BJP-Congress dispute over Telibandha

Shishir Roy Chowdhury
Raipur, Oct 8 (UNI) A political dispute over the proposed development of Telibandha Chowk has triggered a fresh BJP-Congress confrontation in Chhattisgarh. While the ruling BJP says the landmark will retain its name and identity, the Congress has accused the government of attempting to alter Raipur's historical character.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday rejected speculation that Telibandha Chowk is being renamed. He said that the landmark would retain its existing name and character, even as it is developed under the ‘Seva Jyoti Sankalp’ initiative.
CM Sai said that 38 locations across Chhattisgarh had been selected for development as ‘Seva Jyoti Sankalp Chowks’. Telibandha is one of them, but the project does not call for changing its name, he said.
The statement came a day after the Congress raised a strong objection. Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee communication department chief Sushil Anand Shukla claimed that the government had decided to rename Telibandha Chowk and other locations under the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’. Shukla argued that Telibandha Chowk's name is more than a century old and forms part of Raipur's social and historical identity. He said any attempt to replace it with a political name would be opposed by the Congress.
The Congress also linked the issue to the sentiments of the Sahu community, saying Telibandha and its pond have a longstanding association with the community. Shukla suggested that the location could instead bear the name of Bhakt Mata Karma or Telin Dai.
The criticism did not stop there. Shukla accused the BJP government of concentrating on renaming places and organising publicity-driven events while, he alleged, issues such as law and order, crime and development required greater attention.
The BJP government's position is that there is no renaming proposal at all. Chief Minister Sai said the 38 locations are being developed as part of the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, which is being held in Chhattisgarh alongside nationwide programmes marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years in public service as Chief Minister and Prime Minister.
The controversy has thus exposed two sharply different readings of the same exercise. The Congress sees the proposed ‘Seva Jyoti Sankalp Chowks’ as an attempt to alter established identities, while the government says it is only giving selected locations a development-oriented makeover without disturbing their existing names.
UNI SRC RSA
Tags: #Chhattisgarh: ‘Seva Jyoti Sankalp Chowk’ plan sparks BJP-Congress dispute over Telibandha
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