Demand grows for the renaming of Jinnah Tower in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh

BJP Legislator Raja Singh Lodh, who represents Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad, demanded the tower to be named after freedom fighter Abul Kalam or Telugu poet Gurram Joshua.

New Delhi: In what seems to be the most sensible demand, BJP's Andhra Pradesh chief Somu Veerraju has pressed for the renaming of Guntur's Jinnah tower.  

A saffron party legislator from Telangana Raja Singh Lodh, said that the Tower should be named possibly after freedom fighter Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. "How can we continue to use the name of a man who was responsible for the country's division for the tower or the area," said Raja Singh.

Lal Jan Basha built the Jinnah Tower, which is named after Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The decision dates back to pre-partition and pre-Independence days after the visit of Jinnah's representative Juda Liaquat Ali Khan to Guntur.

Raja Singh, the legislator who represents the Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad, demanded that the tower be named after freedom fighter Abul Kalam or Gurram Joshua (or G Joshua). Born on September 28, 1895, Joshua died on July 24, 1971. He was a Telugu poet and a legendary figure in the Telugu literary world.

Jinnah Tower in Guntur is a key landmark located on Mahatma Gandhi Road. The Tower stands tall on six pillars and opens to a dome.  The tower is currently in a state of neglect and crumbling. According to the State Archeology Department, the tower could be brought under the list of protected monuments if it has a history of over 60 years. 

According to another narrative on the Tower, two Municipal Chairman, Nadimpalli Narasimha Rao and Tellakula Jalayya were responsible during their respective terms of office for the construction of the tower as a symbol of peace and harmony in the region.