Lucknow:
In line with his loyalty to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Panch Pran' (five promises), which include removing vestiges of slavery from the face of India and respecting heritage, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has dropped a hint about changing the name of Akbarpur.
“Saying the name of the city leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Rest assured, all these things will change. We must eradicate all vestiges of colonialism from our nation and honor our heritage,” the Prime Minister said, according to an official press release. .
Beyond Akbarpur, consideration has been given to changing the names of numerous districts within the state, including Aligarh, Azamgarh, Shahjahanpur, Ghaziabad, Firozabad, Farrukhabad and Moradabad.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, after assuming office in 2017, embarked on a mission to eradicate symbols of historical subjugation.
This venture has led to numerous roads, parks, intersections and buildings in the state being christened in honor of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
In Lucknow alone, one can cross the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Road, navigate through Atal Chauraha, access the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Conference Centre, cross Atal Setu and arrive at Atal Bihari Kalyan Mandap.
Moreover, the iconic Mughalsarai Railway Station, the fourth busiest junction in the country, underwent a name change to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction.
Just ahead of the 2019 Kumbh Mela, the state government renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj, a move rooted in reclaiming the city's historical identity.
Saints claim that the original name of this historic place was Prayagraj, which the Mughals changed to 'Allahabad'.
At the same time, Faizabad was renamed Ayodhya, and Jhansi railway station was also renamed after Rani Lakshmi Bai.
Recently, the municipal bodies of Aligarh passed a resolution demanding that the city be renamed as Harigarh, while Firozabad was proposed to be renamed as Chandra Nagar.
A similar proposal was also made in Mainpuri, where there was a demand to change the name of the district to Mayapuri.
State Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi has demanded that the name of her home district, Sambhal, be changed to Prithviraj Nagar or Kalki Nagar. Former BJP MLA Devmani Dwivedi demanded that the name of Sultanpur district be changed to Kushbhawanpur. This city was founded by Kush, son of Lord Rama. BJP MLA from Saharanpur Deoband assembly seat Brajesh Singh has also demanded that Deoband be changed to Devvrind.
Deoband is known for the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom, but it is said that the place is called Devvrind in ancient Hindu scriptures.
Similarly, Alka Rai, former BJP MLA from Ghazipur's Mohammadabad seat, has demanded that the name of Ghazipur be changed to Gadhipuri.
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