Mustafabad To Be Renamed Kabirdham? UP Government's New Proposal

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said his government will move a proposal to rename Mustafabad village in Lakhimpur Kheri district as 'Kabirdham', asserting that the change would restore the area's historical and cultural identity linked with Sant Kabir.

He said the name change was in line with previous such decisions by his government to "restore" the names of places changed by erstwhile rulers.

Addressing a gathering during the "Smriti Mahotsav Mela 2025", Adityanath said his government was now spending funds on reviving sites with religious and cultural significance as opposed to previous regimes "constructing boundary walls of 'kabristan'".

Attacking the Opposition, he said that changing the identity of a place in the name of secularism was "hypocrisy" and added that "the era of erasing heritage under the pretext of secularism has ended".

Speaking at the event, the CM said he was surprised to learn that the village was named Mustafabad despite having no Muslim population.

"When I came here I asked about this village; I was told its name is Mustafabad. I asked how many Muslims live here, and I was told there are none. Then I said the name should be changed. It should be called Kabirdham," he told the audience.

The CM added that his government would seek a formal proposal for the name change and take the necessary administrative steps.

"We will bring the proposal and take it forward. This is about restoring the honour of a place associated with Sant Kabir's legacy," he said.

Adityanath compared this with the renaming initiatives undertaken by his government in recent years.

"Those who ruled earlier renamed Ayodhya as Faizabad, Prayagraj as Allahabad, and Kabirdham as Mustafabad. Our government is reversing that -- restoring Ayodhya, restoring Prayagraj, and now reviving Kabirdham to its rightful name," he said.

The CM also emphasised that the Bharatiya Janata Party's "double-engine government" is committed to developing and beautifying all places of faith across the state.

"We have said every pilgrimage site should be beautified. Facilities for devotees such as rest houses and shelters should be built, and through the tourism and culture departments, we are reviving every major site of faith -- be it Kashi, Ayodhya, Kushinagar, Naimisharanya, Mathura-Vrindavan, Barsana, Gokul or Govardhan," he said.

He claimed that public funds were now being directed towards cultural and religious rejuvenation projects, unlike earlier times.

"Earlier, this money used to go for constructing boundary walls of 'kabristan' (graveyards). Now it is being used to develop our centres of faith and heritage," he remarked.

Adityanath said such efforts reflect a sense of cultural pride and continuity. "This is the spirit of belongingness, a revival of our civilisational identity. The government will continue to work towards restoring the glory of sites that reflect India's spiritual and cultural roots," he added.

He said development in border districts like Lakhimpur Kheri is gaining momentum, with new roads being built, a medical college already operational, and expansion plans for the local airport.

He also said eco-tourism will bring a new direction to the district's growth.

Praising Saint Asangdev Ji Maharaj for his work in spreading religious consciousness and promoting de-addiction, the CM said, "Intoxication leads to destruction. Foreign forces are conspiring to ruin our youth. We must save the new generation from this." During Adityanath's tenure as UP CM, several places have been officially renamed. In 2018, Allahabad was renamed to Prayagraj, and Faizabad district and division were renamed to Ayodhya. The same year, Mughalsarai town and its railway junction were renamed to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction respectively, following approval from the Centre.

In 2021, Jhansi railway station was renamed to Veerangana Laxmibai Railway Station. In 2022, Faizabad Cantonment became Ayodhya Cantonment, while Mundera Bazar in Gorakhpur was renamed to Chauri-Chaura and Telia Afghan village in Deoria became Telia Shukla after receiving approval from the Union Home Ministry Most recently, Jalalabad in Shahjahanpur was renamed to Parshurampuri in 2025 after completing the state and central approval process.

On the other hand, several places in UP have been the subject of public or political speculation about potential name changes such as Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Akbarpur, Firozabad, Farrukhabad, Moradabad, Azamgarh, Sultanpur, Shahjahanpur and Ghazipur.

Name change has always been a contentious, politically sensitive subject in UP. Only recently during her impressive October 9 Lucknow rally, BSP chief Mayawati had hit out at the Samajwadi Party government (2012-2017) of Akhilesh Yadav over renaming those places which her government (2007-2012) had named after Dalit icons or other leaders.

She had specifically referred to renaming of Kanshiram Nagar, done during her tenure, as Kasganj by the SP government in 2012.

Apart from that, some other prominent renaming that had always been a contentious political issue between the two arch rivals include changing Mahamaya Nagar to Hathras, JP Nagar as Amroha, Chatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj Nagar as Amethi, Ramabai Nagar as Kanpur Dehat, Bheem Nagar became Sambhal, Prabuddha Nagar became Shamli and Panchsheel Nagar became Hapur.

Also Lucknow's King George's Medical University's name, changed during Mayawati's regime to Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj, was restored by the Akhilesh Yadav government.  

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)