Renaming spree: Meerut to be rechristened after Mahatma Gandhi’s killer, Nathuram Godse?

Joining the renaming spree initiated by BJP, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) has now come up with a weird proposal. It has put up a request with the state government to rename Meerut after Nathuram Godse- the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. The Hindu outfit wants Meerut to be called as Godse Nagar.

Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha have also proposed that Ghaziabad and Hapur should also be renamed as Digvijay Nagar and Avaidyanath Nagar respectively. Apparently, Yogi Digvijay was the guru of Yogi Avaidyanath.

On Thursday, the members of the Mahasabha had made thses demands. Strangely, November 15 is also observed as the Balidan Diwas as Nathuram Godse and Narayan Dattatraya Apte were hanged on the same day in 1949.

Pandit Ashok Sharma, national vice-president, Hindu Mahasabha said, “Since the process of changing names of cities is on and names are being suggested with Hindu sentiment in mind, we have also put a set of demands. The name of Meerut should be changed to Godse Nagar after Nathuram Godse, and Ghaziabad and Hapur should be renamed as Digvijay Nagar and Avaidyanath Nagar after former head priests of Gorakhnath Math. Both of them were also members of Hindu Mahasabha and we think it is time that Yogi Adityanath honours his gurus.”

However, the Mahasabha members also garlanded the bust of Nathuram Godse which was installed at their office on Sharda road on Gandhi Jayanti in 2016.

Abhishek Agarwal- district president, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha said, “We celebrate the sacrifice of Nathuram Godse and Narayan Dattatraya Apte and hence do not mourn the day. They accepted death in a welcoming manner.” At the party’s Sharda road office in Meerut, a yagna was also conducted on the occasion.

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