Vasundhara Raje government has approved a long-pending demand: Villages with Muslim-sounding names will be renamed with names rooted in Hindi.
Recently, four villages in communally sensitive Chittorgarh have been renamed – Nawabpur as Nai Sarthal, Mandfiya as Sanwaliyaji, Mohammadpur as Medikh Kheda and Rampura-Ajampur as Sitaramji Kheda.
Before the state polls, this renaming of villages is seen as a move by BJP to appease its vote bank. Three other villages have already been renamed — Miyon-Ka-Bara is now Mahesh Nagar (Barmer), Narpada is Narpura (Jalore) and Islampur Khurd is Pichanwa Khurd (Jhunjhunu).
Several political parties and civil rights groups have unanimously called it a bid to polarise society. Former CM Ashok Gehlot said that this exercise is simply an attempt to hide the failures of the government. This move was unnecessary.
Yasmeen Farooqui, the member of the All India Muslim Law Board, said, “Muslims have never felt as insecure in Rajasthan as under the Raje regime. Mob lynchings, hate crimes, dropping Muslim writers from textbooks, systematic closure of Urdu schools, now renaming of villages… What next?”
Revenue minister Amra Ram Choudhary shared his surprise over these political reactions and shared that none of these renamed villages is Muslim-dominated. There is nothing like an anti-muslim approach. None of the residing villagers has opposed this process.

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