‘Eid Gift’: Dhami announces renaming of 17 places with Muslim sounding names
‘Eid Gift’: Dhami announces renaming of 17 places with Muslim sounding names
S.M.A.KAZMI
Dehradun, April 1
After starting a campaign and closing down 136 Madrassas at the start of Muslim holy month ‘Ramzan,’ Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami gave an ‘Eid Gift; to the state by renaming 17 places with Muslim sounding names in the state across four districts on Monday.
Ten of these places which have undergone a name change are located in Haridwar district, four in Dehradun, two in Nainital and one in Udham Singh Nagar. Aurangzebpur in Haridwar has been renamed Shivaji Nagar, Ghaziwali as Arya Nagar, Khanpur as Shri Krishnapur and Khanpur Kursali as Ambedkar Nagar,
Likewise, Miyawala in Dehradun will now be called Ramjiwala, Chandpur Khurd as Prithviraj Nagar, Nawabi Road in Nainital has a new name Atal Road and Panchukki Marg has been renamed Guru Golwalkar Marg after the second RSS chief. “The changes have been made in accordance with the will of the people and per the Indian culture and heritage of the country by honoring the great personalities,” claimed Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister who has launched relentless anti-Muslim rehotric in the state even since he took over the reins of the state in 2021. Starting with ‘Land Jehad’, ‘Love Jehad’, ‘Mazar Jehad’, ‘Thook Jehad’, Imp[lamentation of Uniform Civil Code ((UCC) and action against ‘Madrassas; is the young Hindutva icon of BJP/RSS who is credited with implementing the ‘Hindutva Gujarat Model’ in the hill state of Uttarakhand with rich political dividends.
The BJP officially lauded the state government for changing the names as part of the campaign to eradicate the last vestiges of slavery. “Uttarakhand has announced the renaming of several locations across Haridwar, Dehradun, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts. The new names reflect public sentiment and uphold India’s cultural and historical heritage. This initiative seeks to honour great personalities who have played a significant role in preserving Indian culture, inspiring future generations,” BJP leader Amit Malviya said on X.
Interestingly, in it’s zeal to erase any Muslim sounding or lslamic names by renaming 17 places in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar singh Dhami has also changed the name of ‘Maiyanwala’ village near Dehradun which has nothing to do with Muslims but was a Rajput village. The renaming of their village has created resentment amongst Rajput community which has demanded that the state government should refrain from renaming their village. The ‘Miyans’ are famous Rajput clan in Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh hills and are known for their military valour.
Jai Singh Rawat, a senior journalist of Uttarakhand said that the state government should look into history and not act blinded by their opposition of anything which sounds Muslim. “ The ‘Miyans’ are famous Rajput clan and Miyanwala is their village. The BJP/RSS think tanks should educate themselves before acting impulsively in their anti-Muslim campaign,” he said.
