New Delhi: The government’s decision to rename the Prime Minister’s Office complex as Sewa Teerth has sparked sharp criticism from the Opposition, who argue that altering institutional names cannot replace actual governance.

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari, deputy leader of the party in Rajya Sabha, slammed the move, saying the Modi government “should get a Guinness World Record for name changes.” Tiwari added, “Changing names does not substitute for governance. Parliament is the temple of democracy, but sittings have fallen from over 120 days earlier to around 55 days now. What will renaming achieve when debate, discussion, and accountability are shrinking?”

Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav echoed the sentiment, questioning the tangible benefits of such exercises. “The place has been renamed Sewa Teerth, but what services have actually improved?” he asked. “The real questions are economic — from the value of the rupee against the dollar to the rising prices of petrol, diesel, gas, and other essentials since 2014.”

The renaming comes as part of a series of institutional name changes under the Narendra Modi government, including Rajpath to Kartavya Path, the Prime Minister’s official residence to Lok Kalyan Marg, and multiple Raj Bhavans being redesignated as Lok Bhavans. Officials say these moves reflect a cultural shift from “satta” (power) to “seva” (service) and aim to embed the principle that government exists to serve citizens.

Welcoming the decision, Union Minister Giriraj Singh described the renaming of the PMO as part of the “rise of a new Sanatan Bharat.” Singh said official spaces must symbolise service rather than privilege and contrasted it with previous governments, which he accused of treating the Prime Minister’s residence like a “loot bhavan.”