Overview

• On July 22, the Greater Chennai Corporation renamed Waddells Road in Kilpauk as Archbishop Ezra Sargunam Road during a ceremony attended by DMK ministers and the city mayor.
• BJP state president Nainar Nagendran called the decision a “shame,” accused the DMK of minority appeasement and demanded that the renaming be rolled back.
• DMK leaders defend the new name as a replacement for a British-era toponym that reaffirms local identity and symbolically supports marginalised groups.
• Ezra Sargunam led the Evangelical Church of India in planting over 2,000 churches and championed Dalit and transgender rights, but he faced criticism for denouncing Hinduism as “artificial” and urging violence against its followers.
• The renaming remains in effect as the DMK rejects opposition calls for reversal, underscoring deeper debates over colonial legacies and religious politics in Tamil Nadu.