Guntur; National flag hoisted at Jinnah tower

            On Thursday, February 3, Andhra Pradesh home minister M Sucharita unfurled the Indian tricolor at Jinnah tower in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

Mohammad Mustafa, a local YSRCP MLA, Guntur Mayor KSN Manohar Naidu, and representatives from several religions attended the ceremony and offered prayers for India’s peace and prosperity, as well as the state of Andhra Pradesh.

On Mahatma Gandhi Road, the Jinnah Tower Centre is the most visible landmark in Guntur.

For the last month, the BJP and the ruling YSRCP administration have been locked in a political battle over Jinnah Tower.

On December 30, 2021, BJP National Secretary Y Satya Kumar tweeted that the Jinnah Tower Centre in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, should be renamed.

He explained, “Jinnah Centre is the name given to the tower and the surrounding region. The irony is that it is not in Pakistan, but in the city of Guntur in the state of Andhra Pradesh. A center that still bears the name of an Indian traitor. Why shouldn’t it be named after Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam or Gurram Jashuva, a brilliant Dalit poet? Just a thought!”

After the arrest of Hindu Vahini activists who attempted to unfurl the tricolor atop Jinnah tower in Guntur on Republic Day, January 26, another issue emerged.

The BJP and other nationalist organizations slammed a video showing police employing force to clear Hindu Vahini workers from the location, despite it being published after a short time.

The Jinnah tower in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, received a coat of tricolor on February 1. Mohammad Mustafa, a YSRCP MLA, organized the initiative.

Andhra Pradesh Home Minister M Sucharita raised the national flag at Jinnah Centre in Guntur on Thursday, February 3. Members of numerous political parties and religious organizations gathered to take part in the ceremony and pray.