Telangana polls: Will rename Hyderabad as 'Bhagyangar' if BJP comes to power, says Kishan Reddy

Union Minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy on Monday said Hyderabad would be renamed as 'Bhagyanagar' if his party comes to power in the state.

Reddy, who spoke to reporters, said the names of cities like Madras, Bombay and Calcutta have been changed.

"Yes. Definitely, if the BJP government comes to power, (we) will change the name of Hyderabad. I am asking who is Hyder? Do we need the name of Hyder? Where has Hyder come from? I am asking who needs Hyder. If BJP comes to power, definitely, (we) will remove Hyder and change the name as Bhagyanagar," he said.

Why should the name not be changed, he asked.

The name of Madras has not been changed to Chennai by the BJP but by the DMK government, he said.

What is wrong with changing the name of Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar when Madras has been renamed as Chennai, Bombay as Mumbai, Calcutta as Kolkata, Rajpath as Kartavya Path, he said.

"We will completely change all those which reflect the slavish mentality if BJP comes to power," he said.

The BJP would also take the advice of intellectuals on changing the names, he added.

Bhagyanagar literally means city of fortunes.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during his poll rallies in Telangana, had said that Hyderabad should be made ‘Bhagyanagar’, changing its destiny for the better, and Mahabubnagar should be re-established as Palamuru.