Yogi’s Renaming Spree Reaches Telagana elections

It seems that the BJP is on a renaming spree not only in the state it rules but also where it hopes to form the government in the upcoming assembly elections. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has now said that if Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes to power in Telangana then Karimnagar will be renamed as Karipuram. He also proposed changing name of Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar.

Apart from the name-changing gimmick, he launched scathing attack on Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. Yogi said that KCR had not fulfilled any promises he made to the people of the state while PM Modi worked for providing welfare benefits to people without any discrimination. 

While replying to Yogi’s renaming proposal and allegations, K Chandrashekhar Rao asked in a recent India Today TV interview, “Will each home get a kilo of gold if Hyderabad’s name changes?”  Telangana’s caretaker chief minister dismissed the idea — renaming the state capital Bhagyanagar — as “stupidity”. 

Adityanath spoke at rallies in Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts yesterday. He brought up his own government’s work in Uttar Pradesh: “We have renamed Faizabad as Ayodhya and Allahabad as Prayagraj.”

The decision to rename Faizabad district, home to the city believed by millions to be the birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram, was announced last month. Allahabad was once known as Prayag; the Mughal emperor Akbar named it Illahabas, meaning “abode of God”, in 1575. The state cabinet approved the latest name change in October. 

Adityanath also accused the TRS, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Congress of promoting dynasty politics and said that if these parties form their government in the state then their sons or daughters will hold plum posts and ministries but only in BJP equal opportunities are provided to everyone.

“Only BJP can make a tea seller, the Prime Minister of this country,” Yogi added.

Calling out the Congress for its Muslim appeasement the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister accused them of depriving other communities of their basic rights, ANI reported.

Telangana Assembly elections are due on December 7. The counting of votes will take place on December 11.