The Chenani-Nashri tunnel, which is the longest tunnel in India, could be named after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee, according to a report by Times of India. The report states that Union minister Jitendra Singh had made the suggestion to Nitin Gadkari, the highways minister, in 2017. Sources told the newspaper that while Gadkari had agreed to the proposal, it could not happen because the then coalition government led by Mehbooba Mufti of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) had some issues.

BJP was also a part of the coalition government.

The report states that with J&K under President's rulenow, there won't be any issue with the proposal. "It’s a state- of-the-art tunnel and the pride of not only J&K but the entire country. It will be befitting tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee since he was arrested in Udhampur-Kathua region and taken to Srinagar through the stretch where the tunnel has now been built," Singh told the newspaper. Mookerjee was the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the bud of what is today the BJP.

The 9.2 kilometer all-weather highway, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017, has reduced the journey time between Chenani and Nashri. The earlier distance of 41 kms has also been cut down,according to the report.

If the proposal goes through, this will be the second suchtunnel to have been named after a political leader, the report states. In 1956,Congress government had named the 2.5 km on the same highway after the thenPrime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.