Yogi Says Mohammad Shami Took Dip At Maha Kumbh, Akhilesh Takes 'Name Change' Jibe At UP CM

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav seized the opportunity to criticise the BJP government's renaming policy as CM Yogi Adityanath says Mohammed Shami took Maha Kumbh dip.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday took a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for mistakenly taking the name of cricketer Mohammad Shami instead of Mohammad Kaif. 

The CM was speaking in the assembly defending his government's handling of the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. He said that people from all castes and religions were welcomed at Kumbh and claimed that event cricketer Mohammed Shami took the ritual bath. 

“There was no discrimination against anyone at Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. Cricketer Mohammed Shami also took the holy dip. People from different caste, creed and religion, if they have come with devotion in heart, they have also taken the holy dip," Yogi said. 

While there is no official confirmation of Shami visiting the Maha Kumbh, cricketer Mohammad Kaif took a dip at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj in December last year.  

Former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav was quick to point out the mistake and took to X saying: "Now has the cricketer's name also been changed?" 

His jibe was about the BJP government renaming several Muslim cities, places, and historical structures. Recently, the Yogi Adtiyanath government removed the name of 1965 war hero Abdul Hamid from his school in Ghazipur district and renamed it 'PM Shri Composite School'.

The Mughalsarai railway station, the fourth busiest in India, was renamed Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction while Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj ahead of the 2019 Kumbh Mela. 

Adityanath has also suggested changing the name of Azamgarh, the parliamentary constituency of Akhilesh Yadav, to Aryangarh. 

In 2023, the Aligarh municipal body passed a resolution to rename the city to Harigarh and Firozabad also introduced a similar proposal to change the city's name to Chandra Nagar.