Backing Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Name change’ decision, Union Minister Giriraj Singh demands to ‘Change the names of places connected to Mughals’

Days after Uttar Pradesh government changed the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj, Union Minister Giriraj Singh backed Yogi Adityanath and said that he ‘took a good step’. The Union Minister said that the all the names of places connected to Mughals should be changed.

“Khilji looted Bihar but Bakhtiarpur is named after him. Names of around 100 places were changed, including Bihar's Akbarpur. Yogi Ji took a good step. I will demand that in the entire country and in Bihar, the names connected to Mughals should be changed,” said Union Minister Giriraj Singh.

Earlier on October 16, the Yogi Adityanath government officially renamed Allahabad as ‘Prayagraj’. While announcing the decision UP Health Minister, Siddharth Nath Singh, said, “The city used to be known as Prayagraj since the beginning. Around 500 years ago, the name was changed. To those who are opposing the decision, how would you feel if the name your parents gave you was to be changed?"

READ | Allahabad Officially Renamed As 'Prayagraj'. Details Here

The minister elaborated on the importance of the word - Prayagraj. He said that 'Prayag' meant a point where the three rivers meet. Singh emphasized the importance of the city in the Hindu religion. He reiterated that the city was significantly named as 'Prayagraj' in the Hindu scriptures like the Rig Veda, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Allahabad is the third place to be renamed by the present Uttar Pradesh government after changing the name of Farah town to Deen Dayal Dham and Mughalsarai railway station to Deen Dayal Upadhyay station.

READ | BJP Government May Consider Renaming Shimla To Shyamala

Meanwhile, there is a growing demand to name Bakhtiyarpur railway station in Bihar, which was named after Bakhtiyar Khilji,  the military general of Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who destroyed the famous Nalanda University in the 12th century.

Furthermore, if reports are anything to be believed, Shimla could be the latest entrant as the ruling BJP government is considering a proposal to change its name to Shyamala. A campaign has been launched by some right-wing Hindu groups demanding that the capital of Himachal Pradesh be renamed.