BJP, opposition parties exchange barbs over renaming of places

A war of words erupted Monday over the issue of renaming of places with the BJP strongly defending the change of names, saying it was an attempt to reconnect the present generation with the country's glorious past, and the opposition slamming it as a "threat to democracy".

According to officials, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre has given consent to the renaming of at least 25 towns and villages across the country in the last one year. Allahabad and Faizabad in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh are the latest additions to the growing list of places that have been renamed.

Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "You (BJP) do not understand the pride of India, you do not understand its identity, you do not understand its character, nor its definition.

"Today, I will change the history of the last 500 years, tomorrow you will change my history by changing the history of 500 years before that. After that, a third person will come, who will change the history of the last one thousand years, and then, a fourth person will come, who will change ancient India's 2,500-year-old history...," he said.

Singhvi said if jobs could be provided with such moves, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and prosperity of the country could be increased, divisions could be reduced and the nation could be taken forward, then this could be permitted.

BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP GVL Narasimha Rao said the proposed changes of names of cities was not symbolic, but had a huge historical and cultural significance.

"It is an attempt to reconnect today's generation with our glorious past and to erase the deep scars of subjugation that have badly injured our cultural psyche," he said.

"For obvious reasons of vote-bank politics, the Congress is undermining a praiseworthy effort towards cultural renaissance and baring its religious, fundamentalist fangs. The people of the country will punish the Congress for hurting national heritage and culture at the altar of appeasement politics," Rao added.

On a historian suggesting that BJP president Amit Shah should change his name, Singhvi said it was said sarcastically and if it was wrong, one had the right to react sarcastically.

Taking a dig at some BJP-ruled states over their "name-changing spree", All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi also targeted Shah, saying his surname was a Persian word and wondered if it would be changed.

Other opposition parties such as the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) also hit out at the BJP over the changing of names of places such as Allahabad and Faizabad.

Close on the heels of renaming Allahabad as Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on November 6 announced that Faizabad district would henceforth be known as Ayodhya district.

RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha said the BJP's state governments and the Modi regime had no other work apart from changing names and that "democracy is being finished".

"We want to tell the prime minister that once and for all, the names of cities, towns, villages and streets -- any name you want to change, must be changed. But after the renaming, give employment to all, save the children from malnutrition, give protection to women and provide education and healthcare facilities to all," he said.

SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary criticised the BJP government on the issue, saying it had started to think that changing names was its real job.

"This trend is a threat to democracy. The public is watching and the BJP will be given a befitting reply by people in the upcoming elections," he said.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "This government has no work except changing names. They are doing all this to divert attention from their failures."