INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Vijay Rupani's deputy said Gujarat can consider name change at "right time"
Gandhinagar, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was willing to change Ahmedabad's name if it
gets past the legal hurdles and receives required support."People are still having a feeling that Ahmedabad should be renamed as Karnavati
If we get required support to overcome the legal hurdles, we are always ready to change the name of the city," Mr Patel told reporters when
asked if the state government had a plan to rename India's only city having the 'World Heritage' tag.Historically, the area around Ahmedabad
has been inhabited since the 11th century, when it was known as Ashaval.Chaulukya ruler Karna of Anhilwara (modern Patan) had waged a
successful war against the Bhil king of Ashaval and established a city called Karnavati on the banks of the Sabarmati river.Sultan Ahmed
had laid the foundation of a new walled city near Karnavati and named it Ahmedabad after the four saints in the area by the name Ahmed."We
can think of changing the name at an appropriate time," Mr Patel added.Slamming the BJP government over the issue, state unit Congress
spokesperson Manish Doshi said the promise to rename Ahmedabad was just another "poll gimmick" by the ruling party."For the BJP, issues like
construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and renaming Ahmedabad as Karnavati are the means to get votes of Hindus," said Mr Doshi."BJP
leaders dump such issues after coming to power
They only cheated Hindus all these years," he added.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the eve of Diwali announced that
Faizabad district would henceforth be known as Ayodhya."Ayodhya is a symbol of our 'aan, baan aur shaan' (honour, pride and prestige)," Yogi
