Madhya Pradesh’s Hoshangabad to Be Renamed as Narmadapuram: CM

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday, 20 February, announced that Hoshangabad city in the state would be renamed as Narmadapuram. Chouhan also said that a proposal with be sent to the Center in this regard.

Chouhan made the announcement on the occasion of Narmada Jayanti while addressing a crowd in Hoshangabad.

BJP workers in MP, along with pro tem Assembly Speaker Rameshwar Sharma, welcomed the news by bursting firecrackers on Saturday morning.

Sharma, who had earlier made the demand to rename the city, told news agency PTI, “This is a historic moment. Narmada is the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh. Hoshangabad was so far named after an attacker Hoshang Shah but will be known after the lifeline Maa Narmada, which is a matter of happiness. I thank the CM for making this announcement by respecting the public sentiments.”

On the other hand, the state Congress spokesman Bhupendra Gupta said that the announcement was BJP government’s ploy to divert attention from the important issues of inflation and rising fuel prices.

This announcement comes amid a string of changes brought in by the BJP government after taking over from the Congress party in 2020. Chouhan has enacted a strict law on “love jihad” and is planning on introducing a new law against stone-pelting.

History of Hoshangabad

According to the MP government’s website, “Hoshangabad city is named after the ruler of Narmadapuram, Hoshang Shah. The city was earlier called Narmadapuram after the Narmada river. Later, the name was changed to Hoshangabad after Hoshang Shah, the first ruler of Malwa.”

The city is known for its beautiful ghats along the banks of the Narmada river.