The Ministry of Railways has refuted reports of a proposal to rename Burdwan railway station claiming that it had never been under consideration. This comes amidst the recent tussle between the Centre and the state government over the purported plan to rename Burdwan station after revolutionary freedom fighter Batukeshwar Dutt.

The ministry has said that there is no proposal regarding changing the name of Burdwan railway station in Eastern Railway.

The ministry said that as per the existing guidelines, the Union ministry of home affairs alone is the competent authority to approve a change in the name of a railway station. It does so on the recommendation of the state government after obtaining No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Science & Technology, Surveyor General of India and Department of Post.

However, in this case, the Ministry of Railways has received no communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs requesting No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the same.

On 20 July, Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai had said in Patna that Burdwan railway station will be named after revolutionary freedom fighter Batukeshwar Dutt, who was born in that district but later shifted to Bihar.

Mr Rai made this statement after paying a visit to the house where Dutt stayed after Independence.

State chief minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the Centre for the announcement and alleged that the state government was kept in the dark. She told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with Zilla Parishad representatives in Nabanna that the state government is not aware of the decision to change the name of Burdwan station to Batukeshwar Dutt station though it is mandatory to get the state’s clearance.

Already aggrieved at the Centre for sitting on the Bengal government’s proposal for the state’s name change, Miss Banerjee had said: “If the Centre wishes to change the name of a railway station then it has to get the state’s clearance. A party desiring to change the name is not enough. As per system, the state should propose and clear the name. It is BJP’s proposal but not the government’s. One political party may come and go but government will continue forever and democracy will run as per the Constitution and not as per the party’s lines.”