Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami touts the move as a reflection of public sentiment and a means to honour the country’s culture and heritage
Team Clarion
DEHRADUN – The Uttarakhand government of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has renamed various locations in the districts of Haridwar, Dehradun, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar.
Announcing the decision on Monday, the chief minister touted it as a reflection of public sentiment and a means to honour Indian culture and heritage.
The renaming of places with Muslim names to those honouring Hindu deities, icons, and notable BJP and RSS leaders, has been seen as a deliberate attempt to diminish Muslim heritage. For instance, Aurangzebpur in Haridwar District, named after the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, has been renamed Shivaji Nagar after the Hindu warrior king Shivaji.
Similarly, Gajiwali has been renamed Arya Nagar; Chandpur becomes Jyotiba Phule Nagar; Mohammadpur Jat to Mohanpur Jat; Khanpur Kursli to Ambedkar Nagar; Indrishpur to Nandpur; Khanpur to Shri Krishna Pur; and Akbarpur Fazalpur to Vijayanagar.
In the Dehradun district, Miyanwala has been renamed to Ramji Wala; Pirwala to Kesari Nagar; Chandpur Khurd to Prithviraj Nagar; and Abdullah Nagar to Daksh Nagar. In the Nainital district, Nawabi Road has been rechristened Atal Marg, while the road from Panchakki to ITI is renamed Guru Golwalkar Marg. In Udham Singh Nagar district, Sultanpur Patti municipal council is now Kaushalya Puri.
Critics argue that this renaming exercise is part of a larger agenda to suppress Muslim identity and culture. The move has been seen as a blatant attempt to rewrite history and impose a Hindu-centric narrative.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has mocked at the Uttarakhand government’s move to rename places. Asked to comment on the issue, he said on Tuesday: “Uttarakhand ka naam bhi Uttar Pradesh-2 kar dijiye‘ (Name Uttarakhand as Uttar Pradesh-2).”
Last year, the state government renamed the mythological city of Joshimath as Jyotirmath. Jyotirmath, the gateway to the Hindu shrine of Badrinath, gained prominence after the land subsidence disaster of early 2023, intensifying demands for renaming.
The name ‘Joshimath’ emerged before British colonial rule and subsequently found its way into official government records. Over time, when the tehsil and block were established, they adopted the name Joshimath as well. While ‘Jyotirmath’ retained its significance in religious and formal contexts, the name ‘Joshimath’ gained widespread usage in everyday conversations.
Earlier in 2023, Madhya Pradesh, another BJP-ruled state, renamed Bhopal’s Islam Nagar to Jagdishpur. Located about 12 km from Bhopal, Islam Nagar village is known for its forts. Historical accounts suggest that the area was originally called Jagdishpur around 308 years ago. – With inputs from Agencies
