Overview
- Chandni Chowk MP Praveen Khandelwal asked the Centre to change the capital’s name to Indraprastha, citing Mahabharata-era heritage and civilisational pride.
- He proposed renaming Old Delhi Railway Station as Indraprastha Junction and Indira Gandhi International Airport as Indraprastha Airport, and installing grand statues of the Pandavas.
- Copies of the letter were sent to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
- Khandelwal argued the changes would restore historical identity and boost cultural tourism, trade, employment, and the local economy.
- Coverage notes ASI findings of Painted Grey Ware at Purana Qila indicating habitation from roughly 1200 BCE, while archaeologists and historians caution this does not prove the site was the Mahabharata’s Indraprastha, and no official decision has been announced.