Knives out in BJP over changing city names

■ Renaming Allahabad, Lucknow will have serious results: BJP MP

BJP MP Savitri Bai Phule has now unfurled the banner of revolt against her own government in Uttar Pradesh. The MP has strongly opposed the state government’s move to change the name of Allahabad to Prayag Raj and Lucknow to Laxman Nagar. She has termed the move as “condemnable” and warned that the move would have serious consequences.

Savitri Bai Phule , who was elected as MP from Bahraich, has also said that places named after dalit icons and leaders of minority communities should not be changed.

“There should not be any attempt to erase a part of history. Changing names of railway stations, roads, cities and organisations will not bring votes. This is an attempt to erase the identity of groups that identify with the existing names. The changing of names is designed to target the Bahujan Samaj and the minorities, in particular”, she said at a function here.

Savitri Bai Phule, it may be recalled, was one of the first MPs to speak out against the Modi government on the dilution of the SC/ ST Act. She had said that her loyalty was to her people before the political party.

She held a “Bhartiya Samvidhan Bachao ( Save Indian Constitution)” rally in Lucknow on April 1 where she said that there is a threat to Dr B. R. Ambedkar’s Constitution.

She alleged that the reservation system might be scrapped. After her revolt, other dalit MPs belonging to BJP and its allies also voiced their apprehensions on the issue.