New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday justified the name change of Allahabad to Prayagraj, asserting that names hold meaning in our society and hence it was important to rename Allahabad.
Acknowledging that several people had questioned the state government’s move to rename Allahabad, Adityanath took a jibe at them, asking them why they had not been named after ‘Ravan’ or ‘Duryodhan’, the villainous characters from Hindu mythological texts.
#WATCH UP CM Yogi Adityanath justifies name change of Allahabad to Prayagraj; says, "log keh rahe hain kyun naam badal diya, naam se kya hota hai? Maine kaha tumhare maa-baap ne tumhara naam Ravan aur Duryodhan kyun nahi rakh diya?" pic.twitter.com/qRfLNnjbOR
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 4, 2018
Speaking at an event, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister addressed concerns regarding the change of name if the historic city and said, “People ask why the name was changed? What difference would it make? I ask them, why didn’t your parents name you Ravan or Duryodhan?” He also claimed that a majority of names in India were related to Lord Ram and that names were important in our culture and society, news agency ANI reported.
Last month, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet cleared a proposal to officially rename the city of Allahabad to Prayagraj. The move had come amid protests by Opposition parties, including Congress and the Samajwadi Party, who had termed it as a “poll ploy”. On the other hand, a mixed response was elicited from members of the society, including intellectuals, teachers and the common man regarding the name change.
Explaining his government’s move to change the name, CM Adityanath had previously said, Prayagraj was named Allahabad during the Mughal era, around 500 years ago. The place is a confluence of three Holy rivers namely the Saraswati, Yamuna, and Ganga, hence the name Prayagraj. People who have zero understanding of our history and traditions would question the move.”