Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders want more cities renamed in the state, following the recent renaming of Allahabad to Prayagraj and Faizabad to Ayodhya by U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Jagan Prasad Garg, a four–time BJP MLA from Agra, called for the renaming the city to Agrawal or Agravan on Saturday, November 10. Addressing a media conference in Agra, Garg said, “Agra has no meaning. You check the name Agra anywhere, what relevance does it have? Earlier there used to be a lot of forests here. And people from the Agarwal community used to live here. So the name should be Agra-van or Agra-wal.”
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Calls for renaming of the cities have been met with stiff disapproval from opposition parties and social activists. A Lucknow-based theatre personality and activist, Deepak Kabir said, “What kind of an agenda is this? How can you obliterate Faizabad and Allahabad. This is the politics of hate and polarisation.”
Earlier on November 9, Sangeet Som, a BJP leader from Sardhana, demanded the renaming of Muzaffarnagar to Laxmi Nagar. Som told the ANI, “BJP is just trying to bring back the culture of India, which was deliberately changed by the Muslim rulers to end Hindutva. Therefore BJP is working just to safeguard and retain the Indian culture back by renaming the cities with their original names.”
Also Read: People Not Interested in Names, They Want Jobs, Income Security: Congress
Sharad Yadav, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader, attacked the BJP for doing ‘drama’. He said, “There is a history behind the name of every city. The BJP is busy in doing things which have nothing to do with the progress and development of the country. The government should devote its time in providing jobs to the unemployed youth, increasing income of farmers, bringing back black money from abroad and other promises made before elections.”
Also Read: Renaming Cities a ‘Drama’ Which Will Not Fulfil BJP’s Promises Like Providing Jobs: Sharad Yadav