ISLAMABAD: The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in India, Yogi Adityanath, has drawn flak from social media users for his announcement to rename a village, apparently to woo hardline supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), rather than focusing on the pressing needs of the people.
The Modi-led BJP has a history of taking measures to appease its Hindu ultranationalist support base and has an uneasy and tense relationship with minority Muslims and Christians.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a controversial Hindu temple last year, built on the ruins of a Mughal-era mosque in Ayodhya. Moreover, last year, India under Modi also enacted the Citizenship Amendment Act that granted Indian nationality to refugees who are Hindu, Christian, Parsi, Jain, or Buddhist, but not Muslim.
Civil society organizations such as the United Christian Forum have reported numerous incidents of violence against Christians and persecution of the minority community in India.
On Monday, while addressing a gathering at the Smriti Mahotsav Mela 2025 in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Adityanath claimed that a village with “no Muslim population” was still known as Mustafabad. The address was shared on the chief minister's X account on Monday.
"When I asked about this village, I was told its name is Mustafabad. I asked how many Muslims live here, and I was told there are none. Then I said the name should be changed. It should be called Kabirdham.”
The chief minister further said, "Those who ruled earlier renamed Ayodhya as Faizabad, Prayagraj as Allahabad, and Kabirdham as Mustafabad. Our government is reversing that -- restoring Ayodhya, restoring Prayagraj, and now reviving Kabirdham to its rightful name.”
"We will bring the proposal and take it forward. This is about restoring the honour of a place associated with Sant Kabir's legacy,” Adityanath noted.
Social media flak
The proposal has attracted strong criticism from social media users against the chief minister for his administration's misplaced priorities.
One social media user, Supriya, posted on X: “This is Priority in 2025 of the Chief Minister of the most populated state of India which is already facing several challenges.”
“While the state struggles with unemployment, education, and healthcare, renaming cities remains the “priority.” Heartbreaking,” she added.
‘Perfectly upside down’
Another X user, Shahid Wani, commented: “Priorities perfectly upside down. When unemployment, crime, and poverty exist - name changes somehow top the to-do list...”
Another X user posed the question: “Does not @myogiadityanath does ANYTHING other than renaming cities n towns?”
Ultranationalist sentiment
Posts in support of the Indian chief minister’s announcement reflected Hindu ultranationalist sentiment, common among the BJP's support base.
An X user, M Jaitly, commented in support of the Indian chief minister’s announcement, “Every symbol of Islamic rule must be wiped out from India.”
Dr Aakriti, another X user, posted: "Great move by CM Yogi Adityanath! Restoring the historical and cultural identity of places like Mustafabad to Kabir Dham is a step towards reclaiming our heritage. It reflects the reality of our roots. This kind of leadership is what we need."
