Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday proposed that the village of Mustafabad in Lakhimpur Kheri district be renamed ‘Kabir Dham’ and directed officials to submit a proposal for the change. The village is home to an ashram with the same name.
Attacking the Opposition, the CM 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”.
Addressing an event, ‘Smriti Prakatyotsav Mela 2025’, the CM said he was surprised to learn that the village was named Mustafabad despite having no Muslim population.
“Main jab yahan aaya to maine is gaon ke bare mein pucha. Mujhe bataya gaya gaon ka naam hai Mustafabad. Maine pucha kitni Muslim abadi rehti hai, kaha ek bhi nahi. Maine kaha ab naam badalna chahiye. Mustafabad nahi Kabir Dham rakh do. (When I came here, I asked about this village and I was told its name was Mustafabad. I asked if there is a Muslim population living here, and I was informed that not a single one. So I told them that the name should change then, from Mustafabad to Kabirdham),” Adityanath explained.
हमने कहा कि अब यह नाम बदलना चाहिए,
मुस्तफाबाद नहीं, कबीरधाम इसका नाम रख दो… pic.twitter.com/aXeU61Mde6
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) October 27, 2025
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Calling the move “Atmiyata ka bhav (feeling of intimacy)”, he added that they will seek a proposal to change the name and take it forward. He told the people of the area that this would restore their pride and the area’s historical and cultural identity linked with Sant Kabir.
Pointing towards officers, he retirerated, “Mustafabad nahi Kabir Dham rakh do (Not Mustafabad, name it Kabir Dham)”.
Alleging that in the past, attempts were made to target the faith, Adityanath said that in a district like Lakhimpur Kheri, near the border, “secularism” is being brought into the name of a place.
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“Yahan par bhi naam par bhi ‘secular’, yeh secular nahi, yeh pakhanda hai. Aur is pakhanda se mukti aaj ke samay mein awashyak hai aur usi ka awahan karne aaye hain (In a place like this also, secularism is being brought into the name. But this is not secularism, it is mere hypocrisy. It is necessary to get rid of this hypocrisy in today’s time and we have come here to give a call for the same),” said Adityanath.
He also compared this move with the renaming initiatives undertaken by his government in recent years.
He said those in power earlier changed the names of Ayodhya to Faizabad, Prayagraj to Allahabad and Kabir Dham to Mustafabad. After his government came to power, he said it has changed the name of Allahabad back to Prayagraj, Faizabad back to Ayodhya and now, places like Mustafabad would be changed back to Kabir Dham.
The CM, meanwhile, also maintained that his government is working to revive and develop places of religious significance across the state. Taking a hit at previous governments, he alleged they just spent money on building the boundary walls of “kabristan (graveyards)”.
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Adityanath said, “We are working to provide funds to develop all such places associated with the common man’s faith — be it Kashi, Ayodhya, Kushinagar, Naimisharanya, Sukhteerth, Mathura, Vrindavan or Barsana and even Maha Deva in Barabanki. Before this, funds used to go to building walls of kabristans instead.”
The Kabir Dham ashram, situated near the Indo-Nepal border and about 30 km from the Lakhimpur Kheri headquarters, is run by a saint named Asang Dev, who claims to be a follower of Kabir. He had invited Adityanath for their annual event today (Monday) during which the CM also inaugurated a dharamshala.
Renaming drives
During Adityanath’s tenure as CM, several places have been officially renamed.
The city of Allahabad was officially renamed Prayagraj in December 2018. The change was driven by the UP government’s desire to restore the city’s ancient name, which reflects its association with the confluence of sacred rivers, the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati.
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In the same year, the UP cabinet also renamed the Faizabad district to Ayodhya district.
Mughalsarai town and its railway junction were also renamed to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction respectively, following approval from the Centre.
In June this year, Adityanath had announced the renaming of the Akbarpur bus stand in Ambedkar Nagar district to ‘Shravan Dham bus stand’, pointing out that the move is a “tribute to the cultural and mythological legacy of Shravan Kumar from the Ramayana”.
