BJP revives city renaming row in Telangana: Will Nizamabad become Indur district? | Video
Telangana BJP State President Ramchander Rao firmly backed Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind's call to rename the district, affirming it as a party pledge. He stated that upon gaining power, BJP would rechristen Nizamabad as Indur.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sparked fresh controversy in Telangana by pledging to rename Nizamabad district to Indur upon gaining power, framing it as a rejection of the oppressive Nizam era. This follows their push to rechristen Hyderabad as 'Bhagyanagar', drawing fierce backlash from Congress leaders who decry it as divisive identity politics.
BJP's bold renaming pledge
Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind on Saturday (January 10) declared that a BJP government would strip the district of its Nizam-associated name, calling it a symbol of historical subjugation and suffering. Speaking to party workers, he advocated replacing such monikers with ones evoking cultural pride and nationalist fervor.
Telangana BJP State President N Ramchander Rao endorsed the stance, telling media the party fully backs Arvind's proposal. Rao expanded the vision, noting multiple Telangana locales still bear Nizam-era names tied to alleged atrocities, urging a broader purge to erase reminders of that turbulent past.
On Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind's proposal to rename the district, Ramchander Rao said, "The BJP stands by his (Nizamabad MP) words, and it is a commitment that if the BJP comes to power, the name of Nizamabad will be changed to 'Indur.' Not only in Nizamabad, but also in many other places, names have to be changed because the present names reflect the Nizam era's tyranny and remind us of it."
Congress slams bid as communal ploy
Senior Congress figure and former MP Hanumanth Rao hit back hard, accusing Arvind of manufacturing unrest to fracture national unity. He pointed out Nizamabad's ancient name variations and successive governments' acceptance since Independence, slamming BJP for preemptively stoking controversy without power.
Rao warned of law-and-order risks, fearing a domino effect on icons like Charminar or Osmania University. Labeling India secular and diverse, he alleged BJP serves RSS agendas over Modi's leadership, vowing resistance to any erosion of the country's pluralistic fabric.
Echoes of Hyderabad renaming push
This Nizamabad-Indur proposal mirrors BJP's earlier Hyderabad-to-Bhagyanagar campaign, reigniting debates on historical revisionism for electoral gain. Critics view it as polarising tactics ahead of polls, while BJP insists on honoUring indigenous roots over colonial or feudal legacies, keeping Telangana's political arena ablaze.