Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Siddharth Nath Singh, who is a minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government wants the name of Allahabad to be changed. Singh has written a letter in this regard to Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik.
The BJP leader wants the name of Allahabad to be changed to Prayag, which is the older name of the Uttar Pradesh city.
Confirming the same, Singh told news agency ANI, “Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik (then MP from Maharashtra) had helped 'Bombay' to be renamed as 'Mumbai'. I have written to him to consider renaming Allahabad as 'Prayag'.”
Allahabad is considered the oldest living city in the country after Varanasi. As per the 2011 census, Allahabad was the seventh most populous city in Uttar Pradesh.
The name Prayag comes from the popular Sangam, confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers. The city holds religious significance for members of Hindu community as it hosts the grand Mahakumbh.
One of the other popular destinations in the city is Anand Bhavan, which was constructed by Motilal Nehru. While it was initially the home of Nehru family, it later became the office of Indian National Congress. However, it was donated to the government of India by then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1970. It is currently a museum.
