PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Kartavya Path

New Delhi: When the Sun was set, Delhi was lit as Kingsway or Rajpath, the symbol of slavery was consigned to history and erased for ever.

Inaugurating the Kartavya Path, the stretch of road from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said if India had followed the path shown by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, then it would have reached a new high.

He said renaming has given the country a new energy and inspiration.

Modi also unveiled a statue of Netaji at India Gate. The revamped stretch is part of the Modi government's ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project, which also envisages a new triangular Parliament building, a common central secretariat, a new prime minister's residence and office, and a new vice-president's enclave.

Recalling the efforts of Subash Chandra Bose, P.M Modi said, "Unfortunately after independence, our freedom fighter was forgotten. If the free India had followed Netaji, we would have progressed by leaps and bounds but he was ignored. His ideas and objectives were neglected… Netaji's ideals and dreams have a definite imprint on many of our decisions which we took during the last eight years."

The unveiling of the highly anticipated Kartavya Path (Path of Duty) comes two years after the central government announced plans to revamp the 3 kms long stretch of Rajpath, along with redevelopment of the North and South block and construction of a new Parliament building.

He also inaugurated a huge statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose which was installed near the India Gate. During British rule and later for over two decades, a statue of a representative of the Britisher (George V) stood here. No one bothered to remove it. With the installation of the statue of Netaji, we have established a new path for an empowered India," he said. The inaugural event saw participation of cabinet ministers, freedom fighters, senior political leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party, among other notable faces. P.M. also stated that those who did manual work under the Central Vista project, have all been invited along with their families to partake at the Republic Day.

The Prime Minister added that a three days drone show on Netaji will be carried out at the Kartavya Path. He stated that the newly constructed space is not just a path or bricks and stones but has Netaji's statue and war memorial which will inspire the visitors. Before the erection of the statue, a hologram of the freedom fighter was placed at the same spot. According to the Culture Ministry, a team of sculptors spent 26,000 man-hours of "intense artistic endeavour" to carve a grand statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.