UP: Faizabad Cantonment to be renamed Ayodhya Cantt; Centre approves
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday approved changing the name of Faizabad Cantonment in Uttar Pradesh to Ayodhya Cantonment, ANI reported. The development comes amid the Navratri festival season and ahead of Dussehra. To recall, the Faizabad district in UP was also renamed Ayodhya in November 2018. Now, nearly four years later, the cantonment there will also be rechristened as Ayodhya Cantonment. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
The Faizabad Cantonment's renaming also comes two years after PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya following the Supreme Court's verdict in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. The temple has been under development since August 2020. Ayodhya is considered Lord Rama's birthplace, and the Defence Ministry's approval to rename Faizabad Cantonment assumes significance ahead of the Dussehra festival.
ANI tweeted about the renaming of Faizabad Cantt
Railway station renamed after Ayodhya last year
In November last year, the Indian Railways' Northern Railway division changed the name of Faizabad Junction Railway Station to Ayodhya Cantt Railway Station. The same was recommended to the state government, central government, and the Indian Railways by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Lallu Singh. Singh represents the Faizabad constituency in the Lok Sabha.
BJP government's renaming drive in UP
To note, in 2018, UP CM Yogi Adityanath renamed Allahabad to Prayagraj to remove "Akbar Ki Nishani," despite criticism from the Opposition and scholars. Later, Mughalsarai was renamed Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar after the BJP ideologue. Moreover, there have been demands to rename Aligarh to Harigarh, Agra to Agravan, and Mainpuri to Mayan Puri. Adityanath hinted at rechristening Azamgarh as Aryamgarh last year.
Two railway stations renamed to honor Upadhyaya
After assuming power in 2017, the BJP government in UP also renamed two railway stations to honor Upadhyaya. While the Farah Town Railway station in Mathura was renamed Deendayal Dham Railway Station, the Mughalsarai Junction station's name was changed to Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction.
