Name changing an attempt to demolish idea of India: Mehbooba

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for changing the names of cities and towns and said that the move was an attempt to demolish the idea of India.

"Name changing is an attempt to demolish the idea of India we grew up with. It is an assault on the country's composite Ganga-Jamuni culture. BJP is trying to tell the Muslims that they don't belong to this place. But be sure it is as much my country as yours. We are just not going anywhere," Mufti tweeted on Saturday.

Mufti reacted on the micro-blogging site to Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar's statement where he asked the BJP to change the names of three of their Muslim leaders-Shahnawaz Hussain, Abbas Naqvi, Mohsin Raza - before changing the names of different towns and places in the state.

There is a sudden spurt in demands seeking change in the names of various cities after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath renamed Faizabad as Ayodhya and Allahabad as Prayagraj. Recently the name of Mughalsarai Railway Station was renamed as Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Junction.