After much debate and criticism, the Uttar Pradesh government Tuesday approved the proposal to rename
Allahabad as 'Prayagraj'.
The move was announced by Minister Siddharth Nath Singh. Singh, talking to reports, said that all departments like Railways would be asked to change the name to Prayagraj from Allahabad. He added, "The renaming of Allahabad as Prayagraj before Kumbh came for approval in the meeting and I am happy to say Allahabad will now be known as Prayagraj."
Earlier Chief minister Yogi Adityanth had, during his visit to the city on Saturday, announced that Allahabad would be renamed as Prayagraj ahead of the 2019
Kumbh Mela.
However, the Congress along with Samajwadi party and Bahujan Samajwadi party had decried the proposal. In a Twitter post Monday, former UP CM, Akhilesh Yadav had said that today's rulers were trying to show that they are working by just changing the name of Allahabad.
"... They have even re-named Ardh Kumbh to Kumbh. This is toying with tradition and belief," the former UP CM tweeted.
Congress party on the other hand said that the change would diminish the importance that Allahabad had in the country's freedom movement.