Campaigning at a rally for the upcoming Hyderabad Municipal Elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yodi Adityanath said on Saturday, 28 November, that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the state, they will rename Hyderabad as Baghyanagar.
News agency, ANI reported, "Some people were asking me if Hyderabad can be renamed as Bhagyanagar. I said - why not? I told them we renamed Faizabad as Ayodhya and Allahabad as Prayagraj after Bharatiya Janata Party came into power. Why can't Hyderabad be renamed as Bhagyanagar?" said Adityanath at an election meeting in Lal Darwaza as the crowd cheered for him.
“If Faizabad can become Ayodhya, if Allahabad can become Prayagraj, then Hyderabad can also become Bhagyanagar again," said the UP CM.
The BJP’s strongman – one of the key saffron players like Home Minister Amit Shah who landed in Hyderabad to secure the southern state – alleged that Hyderabad’s development has been hindered by the ‘nefarious alliance’ of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) for the lack of development, reported IANS.
Adityanath spoke in Lal Darwaza in Old City, Hyderabad, which is considered a stronghold base of the AIMIM. Referring to AIMIM MLA Akhtarul Iman, the UP CM said, "In Bihar a newly-elected MLA of AIMIM declined to say ‘Hindustan’ during oath-taking. They will live in Hindustan but when it comes to taking oath in the name of Hindustan, they hesitate,” reported NDTV
ANI reported that MLA Iman wanted clarification on the wording of the oath, keeping in mind that the Constitution is referred to as ‘Bharat’ and not ‘Hindustan’.
"I wanted to know whether it's okay to say 'Hindustan' or shall I say 'Bharat'. We are lawmakers, we should place the Constitution above all," Mr Iman said, reported ANI.
AIMIM’s Owaisi Responds To UP CM
Hyderabad MP and AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi responded strongly to Adityanath’s proclamation of Hyderabad’s being renamed as Bhagyanagar saying, “Your entire generation will end but Hyderabad’s name will remain as Hyderabad, the elections is between Hyderabad and Bhagyanagar, and if you want Hyderabad not to be renamed then vote to Majlis (AIMIM),” reported Times Now.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Council Elections (GHMC) have already witnessed many heated debates between the three major parties contesting in the state, the TRS, the AIMIM and the BJP.
Karnataka MP Tejasvi Surya had previously referred to Mr Owaisi an "avatar of Mohammad Ali Jinnah". The election debates have also controversially alleged that the AIMIM wrote to the Centre to allow the infiltration of Rohingya Muslims into the old city.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, or KCR, also held a rally on Saturday, urging voters to ‘save this city from outsiders’.
"I plead with you to save this city. Only if it is a peaceful city, can business and economy prosper. I appeal to all sections," said KCR, reported NDTV.
Meanwhile, BJP Spokesperson K Krishna Saagar Rao claimed that the Telangana CM KCR was afraid of losing the elections. "Over 80 percent of KCR's speech is dedicated to selling fear to GHMC voters. KCR has produced a horror movie in 45 minutes to influence and scare the voters, as he is scared of BJP's imminent rise in the state and in the GHMC," said Rao, reported IANS.
Except Karnataka, BJP Yet To Make Its Mark in South India
In the last municipal elections, the BJP won just four seats, while the TRS claimed 99 to sweep in a comfortable win of the state. The BJP is keen to increase its footprint in southern India, with Karnataka the only exception that has the BJP in ruling. There are two BJP MLAs in the legislative assembly and four MPs in the Lok Sabha in Telangana.
The GHMC polls will be held on 1 December, and the results announced on 4 December.
(With inputs from NDTV, IANS and ANI)
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