Happy that now I am living on Abdul Kalam Road: Venkaiah

The suggestion for renaming Delhi’s Aurangzeb Road after A P J Abdul Kalam had not come from VHP or Bajrang Dal, but from a Pakistan-born Muslim journalist, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday and added that he no longer felt “shy” while giving his address.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said earlier he used to feel shy when he had to give <g data-gr-id="22">address</g> of his residence (in Delhi) as- 30 Aurangzeb Road.

“One road in Delhi was named after a great <g data-gr-id="23">son</g>, an inspirational man from Rameswaram- APJ Abdul 

Kalam. There was so much of furore, and so much criticism and all, as if it was named after a foreigner,” he said while speaking after releasing a book titled ‘The Chronology of Ancient India-Victim of concoctions and distortions’, penned by <g data-gr-id="24">Vedveer</g> Arya. “But you will be surprised to know, the truth should also be known that the suggestion to change Delhi’s Aurangzeb Road to Abdul Kalam Marg came not from a Hindu, or an Indian, nor from VHP or Bajrang Dal.

But from a non-Bharatiya... He is a Muslim...Tariq Fateh, born in Pakistan and who is now settled in Canada and works as a journalist,” Naidu said.

“When he (Tariq Fateh) visited India for the first time in 2013, he was shocked to see the name of Aurangzeb adorn one of the most majestic streets of <g data-gr-id="30">capital</g> of Bharat (India). It is he who had appealed the Indian Muslims to take the initiative in demanding to change the name of the Aurangzeb Road to be named as Dara Shikoh, the brother of Aurangzeb,” the Minister said.