A senior Gujarat leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has called for restoring Ahmedabad’s earlier name, Karnavati, through a video statement shared on social media.
In the video posted on the VHP Karnavati Mahanagar Facebook page, leader Raval said that “Karnavati” reflects the city’s historical and cultural identity and represents the legacy of its ancestors. He appealed to both the Government of India and the Gujarat government to honour public sentiment by reinstating the original name.
The statement comes shortly after the announcement of local body elections in the state, with polls for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation scheduled for April 26.The renaming issue has historical roots, as the Bharatiya Janata Party had proposed changing Ahmedabad’s name to Karnavati in the late 1990s and included it in its election manifesto.
The BJP-led civic body had passed a resolution supporting the move, which was later forwarded to the Union Home Ministry by the then government under Keshubhai Patel.
However, the issue was later dropped from BJP’s election manifestos, even though the party and affiliated organisations like the RSS and ABVP continue to use the name “Karnavati” in various contexts.