Bhopal: “Naam atakta hai (this name gets stuck),” said Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, while renaming Molana panchayat, which falls in Badnagar town of his home district of Ujjain, to Vikram Nagar.
Yadav was in Badnagar for the inauguration of a CM Rise school, which he named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
During the programme, Yadav announced change in names of three panchayats—Gajnikhedi to Chamunda Mata Nagar, Jahangirpur to Jagdishpur, and Molana to Vikram Nagar.
After announcing the new name of Gajnikhedi, the CM remarked Sunday: “Aur Gajnikhedi ke baad, ek aur naam atakta hai… aur woh hai Molana (after Gajnikhedi, there is one more name that gets stuck, and that is Molana).”
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Yadav added: “I don’t understand the relation of the village with this name.”
Talking about Molana panchayat, he said the village under it was known for entrepreneurship, where residents on their own merit had brought about industrial development with investment from the private sector.
“Machines which are not available in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi are found in Molana. It fills my heart with happiness, but when you try to write the name, the pen gets stuck.”
He further said “why these names were kept in the past, we do not know”.
“But the believers of this land have their own faith, self-respect and their belief in Sanatan Sanskriti (eternal/ancient culture). Hence, it is our responsibility as a government which also respects society… if knowingly or unknowingly these names were kept… and these names feel stuck, then it is our government which is changing them… under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Yadav explained.
The BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government’s move was, however, attacked by the opposition Congress, which called it a “tactic to divide Hindus and Muslims for vote-bank politics”.
“In 2022, when I was chairman of the SC commission, I wrote to the state government and Election Commission about changing several villages’ names, which are derogatory to one community. There are villages with names like Chamariya, Chamrauha and Gadariya which cause humiliation to the entire community. But the BJP will not act on this suggestion,” Pradeep Ahirwar, Congress leader and former chairman of MP Scheduled Castes’ Commission, told ThePrint.
Attacking Yadav, Ahirwar added: “Mohan Yadav is just furthering the agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), for which Dalits are useful only for votes. When it comes to restoring their dignity by changing objectionable names, the BJP government will simply sit tight. Very conveniently, the CM while changing the names of three panchayats made divisive comments pitting one community against the other.”
Defending Yadav’s move, BJP’s state media in-charge Ashish Agarwal told ThePrint: “Every decision of the MP government is a reflection of the wishes of the people. If people wish to change names which are negative or do not bring positivity, then the government will certainly comply.”
Sports minister Vishvas Sarang also jumped to the CM’s defence, telling reporters in Bhopal Monday: “We are carrying out development and also removing the black stains of the past. I would like to congratulate the CM.”
Sarang further attacked the Congress for criticising the renaming. “The Congress has to oppose the move, because its mind is filled with thoughts of slavery. They are used to interfering in any issue related to the culture of this country. If there are any symbols of slavery, then they need to be changed and there is great demand for doing so today.”
The Madhya Pradesh government has previously too renamed places.
In 2021, Bhopal’s Habibganj Railway Station was renamed as Rani Kamlapati station. The same year, heritage structure Minto Hall, constructed by Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum, the last Begum of Bhopal, was renamed Kushabhau Thakre Hall after Kushabhau Thakre, a founding member of the BJP.
In 2022, Hoshangabad district was renamed Narmadapuram, and in 2023, the name of Islam Nagar village, located 17 km away from Bhopal, was changed to Jagdishpur.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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