Lucknow to be renamed as ‘Laxman Nagri’? Here’s what UP Deputy CM said

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak weighed in on the issue of renaming Lucknow on Wednesday. Giving indication of its possibility, the minister said that it is well known that Lucknow was earlier known as ‘Laxman Nagri’. He said that the state government will move forward “according to the situation". 

"It is well known that Lucknow's name earlier was Laxman Nagri. We will move forward according to the situation,” he said. When asked if the government would indeed change the name, he said, "We will let you all know about it."

Pathak’s remarks come after BJP MP Sangam Lal Gupta wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging Lucknow to be renamed as ‘Lakhanpur or Laxmanpur’. He said that the current name of Lucknow was bestowed in the 18th century by Nawab Asafuddaula. 

He claimed that Lord Rama had given the city to his brother Laxmana, and hence it was earlier known as ‘Lakhanpur’ or ‘Laxmanpur’. 

In his letter, Gupta had said that it is wrong in today’s time for a country “rich in glorious cultural heritage” to “give a signal of slavery by telling stories of luxury and wastefulness of the Nawabs of Lucknow to our future generation even in the 'Amrit Kaal'.”

He argued that Lucknow must be renamed in order to “preserve India’s cultural heritage”. 

"I requested a change in the name of the capital of Uttar Pradesh Lucknow to Lakhanpur or Laxmanpur in Amrit Kaal in order to preserve India's cultural heritage and combine the glorious history by erasing the symbol of slavery," Mr Gupta had said in Hindi.

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