New Delhi: Taking a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for its name changing spree of cities, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel on Thursday said if merely changing names could solve all issues, then all 1.25 billion Indians should be renamed ‘Ram.’

“If changing the names of cities in this country could restore its glory and solve all the issues plaguing people, I think all 125 crore Indians should be renamed as ‘Ram’, after the Hindu deity Lord Ram,” Patel told media.

He mocked the decision of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh (UP) in changing the names of Allahabad and Faizabad. Faizabad’s name was changed to ‘Ayodhya’ after Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj.

“The country is reeling from unemployment and farmers’ issues, but the central government is busy renaming cities and erecting idols,” Patel stated.

Taking a cue from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Maharasthra Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande had insisted on changing the name of Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad to Dharashiv.

“The demand for the renaming Aurangabad and Osmanabad into Sambaji Nagar and Dharashiv is not new from Shiv Sena. It has been our long-standing demand. The Maharashtra government should take the initiative now,” Kayande said.

On Thursday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also asked the Maharashtra government to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad.

“Yogi Adityanath renamed Faizabad as Ayodhya, Allahabad as Prayagraj. When will Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rechristen Aurangabad and Osmanabad? It should be done at the earliest,” Raut tweeted.

Likewise, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Thursday reiterated the state government’s intent to rename Ahmedabad to Karnavati, after assessing “legal and all other angles.”

“We are contemplating changing the name of Ahmedabad to Karnavati, the talks of which have been going on for a long time. Concrete steps will be taken after looking at it from legal and all other angles. We will think about it in the time to come,” Rupani told media.

Rupani claimed that changing the name of the city was necessary because it was a reminder of the hardships its people had suffered under Mughal rule. “The name Ahmedabad is a symbol of our slavery, while the name Karnavati represents our pride, self-respect, culture, and autonomy. We have launched the process of getting legal and other approvals, like the nod of the union government,” he added.