Now, local BJP unit wants Bijnor renamed Mahatma Vidur Nagar

BIJNOR: After names of Allahabad and Faizabad were recently changed to Prayagraj and Ayodhya respectively, clamour for changing names of other cities in Uttar Pradesh is growing. Now, the district unit of BJP wants Bijnor to be renamed as Mahatma Vidur Nagar, after the learned minister of the Kuru Kingdom, who was the uncle of the Pandavas and Kauravas, mentioned in the Mahabharata. Bijnor district BJP president Rajeev Sisolia said the local party unit would soon write to the state government regarding the matter.
It is believed that during the Mahabharata, Mahatma Vidur lived here on the banks of the Ganga. After failing to negotiate with the Kauravas on behalf of the Pandavas, Lord Krishna crossed the Ganga to visit Mahatma Vidur to seek his guidance. The footprint of Vidur in the ashram still intact, it is believed. The place is located 11 km away from the district headquarters, and people throng the place for its epic significance.
Rajeev Sisodia said, “The Vidur Kuti ashram here has its own significance, and many people from across the country know about it. If Bijnor is renamed Vidur Nagar, people will easily relate the district to the Mahabharata era and this will give a historical character to the place.”
Sisodia said, “We have held a meeting in this connection, and sought views of people from different spheres. All of them suggested that the name Mahatma Vidur Nagar is apt. We are preparing a proposal which will be set to the state administration for its consideration. We will also launch a programme in the district to make the people aware of the our proposal.”
BJP MLA from Sardhana Sangeet Som had recently demanded that Muzaffarnagar in west UP be changed to Laxminagar.