Kollam Junction 'Pakistan Mukku' To Be Renamed Following BJP Proposal (image-AI generated)
Kollam, Kerala: In Kollam district of Kerala, a junction which has long been known as “Pakistan Mukku” will now be known as “Iverkala Junction.” The panchayat, governed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), unanimously decided on the change following a formal request from a BJP ward member during a recent meeting.
For several decades, the road on the Mannadi route near the border of Kunnathoor Panchayat and Kadambanad was known as “Pakistan Mukku”. The name had been included in the register, and shops in the region had the name printed on the signboards as well.
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With just one CPI(M) member voicing opposition, for the first time, members of CPI(M), Congress, and BJP came together with rare unity for the name change. The proposal was submitted to the Kunnathoor Grama Panchayat by BJP member K.G. Aneeshya. A formal petition will now be submitted to the state government soon, says Panchayat President Valsala Kumari K.
Earlier, a similar instance occurred when a BJP councillor under the Palakkad municipality moved a resolution seeking the name change of Jinna Nagar. The councillor alleged that it was named after Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan.
Following the recent Pahalgam attack, a wave of symbolic patriotism has emerged in India. The effort to distance from anything with any perceived association with Pakistan continues. The recent renaming of the popular sweet ‘Mysore Pak’ to ‘Mysore Shree’ is one such initiative taken by sweet shop owners in the name of expressing solidarity.
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However, this was not well received by all. According to linguistic and cultural historians, the ‘Pak’ in Mysore Pak originated from the Kannada word ‘paaka’, meaning sugar syrup, and has no connection with the country name Pakistan.
While many welcomed the move, others criticised it, stating that altering historic names could lead to cultural confusion.
