Day before Diwali, Yogi Adityanath renames Faizabad district as Ayodhya

Yogi Adityanath also said an airport would be established in Ayodhya town and would be named after Lord Ram.

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The name-changing spree of the Uttar Pradesh government continued unabated on Tuesday with chief minister Yogi Adityanath announcing that Faizabad district will now be known as Ayodhya.

The decision to rename Faizabad district was announced at an event organised to mark Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya town. "Ayodhya is a symbol of our pride. Ayodhya's identity is with Lord Ram. From today, Faizabad district's name will be Ayodhya," he said. The first demands for renaming of Faizabad had come from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

Apart from changing Faizabad district's name, Adityanath also announced that Ayodhya town will soon get an airport named after Lord Ram and that a medical college will be established which would be named after King Dasharatha - Lord Ram's father.

Previously, the Adityanath government renamed Mughal Sarai railway junction to Deen Dayal Upadhyay junction. More recently, the UP cabinet also approved renaming of Allahabad to Prayagraj. There are also plans of renaming airports in Bareilly and Agra.