After BJP's protest, Guntur's Jinnah tower painted in tricolor

Guntur: Guntur Municipal Corporation painted the Jinnah Tower in tricolor.

This followed the protests by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanding to either rename the structure or allow its workers to demolish it.

Guntur East MLA Mohammed Musthafa said after several requests from the groups, they painted the tower with the colors of the national flag.

MLA said Jinnah Tower is among the enduring symbols of the freedom movement and they would also construct a pole near it for hoisting the national flag in two days. "Muslim leaders fought against the Britishers during the freedom struggle. After achieving independence, some of the Muslims left the country and settled in Pakistan. But we love our motherland", said MLA Mohammed Musthafa.

BJP National Secretary Y Satya Kumar used the occasion to hit out at Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. "Painting the Jinnah Tower with tricolor will still not change the color of your heart, which, unfortunately, is still green with a crescent. Pay heed to people's demands and change the name of Jinnah tower!" he tweeted.

"It is BJP's win over 'pseudo-secular and anti-national forces. BJP and the nationalist forces will not rest until the name of Jinnah is removed and the same is named after Dr. Abdul Kalam or Sri Gurram Jashuva," he added.

History:

Built in the 1940s, the Jinnah Tower is a landmark monument in Guntur. It was named after Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the architect of partition. The monument was constructed as a tower with six pillars and a dome-shaped structure atop, typical of the Muslim architecture of the 20th century. According to the State Archaeology Department, the tower can be brought under the list of protected monuments if it has a history of more than 60 years.