MLA’s Promise To Rename Hyderabad If BJP Wins Ruffles Feathers; Historian Wants ‘Proof’ In Court To Justify Move

A few days ago, BJP MLA from Telangana, Raja Singh, raised a storm after he said that should the party come to power in the state, the first thing they would do is to rename the city of Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar. Muslim outfit AIMIM and Telangana Rashtra Samiti criticised the comments and demanded an “apology” from the MLA.

Now, following up on the comments is historian Dr Mohammed Safiullah, who believes that if anyone wants to rename the city, they must contest the case in court with facts that can be deemed acceptable under the purview of law.

Deccan Chronicle quoted Dr Safiullah as saying, “During the Kakatiya regime, minorities were protected. In the Qutb Shahi and Asif Jahi dynasties, the prime ministers were non-Muslims. The rulers maintained communal peace and propagated secular values.”

The comments were made when Dr Safiullah was invited to deliver the keynote speech on the occasion of World Heritage Week at Golconda Fort in the city on Monday (19 November).

He added that it is imperative that the younger generation is taught history right. He continues to say that schools must teach history beginning with the Kakatiya era, in order for the millennial to start respecting the monuments and sites in the state.