Name Idgah Hills in Bhopal After Guru Nanak Dev, Says MP Protem Speaker

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Protem Speaker Rameshwar Sharma on Monday demanded that Idgah Hills area of Bhopal be named after Guru Nanak Dev claiming the founder of the Sikh religion had visited the place 500 years ago. Sharma said the place should be called Guru Nanak Tekri.

Idgah Hills, located in Old Bhopal area, has an open area where Muslims offer prayers on Eid, hence the name Idgah. There is a residential area adjoining the structure.

“Guru Nanak Dev ji visited Idgah Hills about 500 years back during his country wide tour. There was no structure at that time. So I demand that Idgah Hills should be renamed as Guru Nanak Tekri. It was known by this name long before people started calling it Idgah Hills,” he told reporters. The opposition Congress hit out at Sharma alleging he had a “habit” of making such “controversial” demands.

“The protem speaker is habituated to raking up such controversies. He should not drag Guru Nanak Dev ji, who is revered across the world, into this episode. This issue has been raised purely for the sake of creating controversy,” MP Congress spokesperson Amit Sharma said. Sharma said such requests should come from local residents or elected representatives and not from someone like Sharma who is MLA from another seat.

The birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev is being celebrated across the country on Monday.