On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh’s CM Yogi Adityanath sealed the decision and re-named Allahabad to its original name i.e. – ‘Prayagraj.’ Emperor Akbar had changed the name of the Holy city to Allahabad during the 16th century and the BJP-led government has been long trying to rename the city and supposedly claim their lost legacy.
While this move was appreciated by 80% of India’s population, there were many people who pointed out at the futility of the manoeuvre and some even went ahead to term it as Yogi’s ‘Jungleraaj’ and ‘Goondaraaj’! The upcoming array of changes which have not yet been made public may prove their claims to be indeed true.
Our special correspondent from The Fauxy was able to get her hands on classified government documents which revealed that re-christening Allahabad was just the tip of the totalitarian iceberg. The Yogi led government is hell-bent on removing traces of foreign culture from the state and the next target shall be Bollywood.
If sources are to be believed, theatres in Praygraj shall not be allowed to feature any movies of Shahrukh, Salman or Aamir Khan. Requesting anonymity, a top minister in the UP government confided with us saying: “Jinhe dekhana hai, woh beshak Pakistan ja sakte hain.”
While people privy to this piece of information are viewing this a case of Muslim-bigotry, industry experts are labelling it as an instance of age-shaming since Yogi led government had previously proposed a compulsory retirement of employees above 50 years of age. All of the three actors are 50+ and middle-aged.
However, this may not be it. Besides having a strong communal stance, Yogi is also known for having a soft corner towards the cause of cows in general. Following the comments portraying eagerness to eat beef, Uday Chopra may also face the brunt and his upcoming movies (who are we kidding?) shall not be permitted a screening in Prayagraj. The ban might have to do more with matters relating to guarding the public on humanitarian grounds rather than cow protection.
