Yogi defends renaming of Allahabad, says those opposing it have 'zero understanding of history'

Lucknow, Oct 16: Hitting back at those opposing his government's decision to re-name Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday (October 16) said those questioning the move have zero understanding of history and traditions.

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday passed a resolution to rename Allahabad to Prayagraj ahead of the Kumbh Mela. The move was announced by Minister Siddharth Nath Singh. Singh, talking to reporters, said that all departments like Railways would be asked to change the name to Prayagraj from Allahabad.

"Prayagraj was named Allahabad during the Mughal era, around 500 years ago. The place is a confluence of three Holy rivers namely the Saraswati,Yamuna, and Ganga, hence the name Prayagraj.People who have zero understanding of our history and traditions would question the move," Adityanath told media.

However, the Congress along with Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party had decried the proposal. In a Twitter post Monday, former UP CM, Akhilesh Yadav had said that today's rulers were trying to show that they are working by just changing the name of Allahabad. Congress party on the other hand said that the change would diminish the importance that Allahabad had in the country's freedom movement.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during his visit to Allahabad on Saturday had announced that there was a proposal to rename the city as Prayagraj ahead of the 2019 Kumbh Mela.

Prayag is the erstwhile name of Allahabad that was changed after Mughal emperor Akbar built a fort near Sangam, where the holy rivers of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati met.