Faizabad to be Sri Ayodhya? VHP demands renaming of another Uttar Pradesh city

The Yogi Adityanath government may move a proposal to rename Faizabad as Sri Ayodhya, reports said. Hindu outfits including Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) have raised the demand for renaming Faizabad. Hailing government’s decision to adopt a proposal to rename Allahabad as Prayagraj, VHP leader Sharad Sharma demanded that the name of Faizabad be changed to Sri Ayodhya. The saints of Ayodhya have decided to meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath when he visits Ayodhya for Diwali celebrations on the banks of river Saryu.

The Uttar Pradesh government had earlier renamed two railway stations – one near Agra which was called Farah and another that used to be known as Mughalsarai junction – after the party ideologue Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. After renaming the historic city Allahabad, Yogi Adityanath said the government has taken this decision keeping in view the feelings and emotions of the people. He further criticised opposition parties saying that those who are opposing the government’s decision are not aware of their cultures, history and traditions.

However, Allahabad renaming has not gone well with opposition parties including two key players in the state politics – Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party and Akhilesh’s Samajwadi Party. Former CM Akhilesh Yadav said the present regime was trying to show that they are working by just changing the name of Allahabad.

The state government’s decision is being seen as the ruling party’s attempt to woo Hindu voters of the state and country. The Congress party said that Allahabad has its own historic importance and changing the name of the city will definitely not be accepted by the people of the country.