UP CM Yogi Adityanath.

LUCKNOW: After renaming Allahabad as Prayag Raj , UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday rechristened Faizabad as Ayodhya, in a move that experts said could potentially give the ruling BJP to give its Hindutva agenda a further push ahead of Lok Sabha elections due next year. He also announced that the airport in Ayodhya would be named after Lord Ram.

The announcement comes days after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanded that Faizabad be named Sri-Ayodhya. Speaking on the eve of Diwali, Yogi said that no injustice can be done to Ayodhya, amid repeated chants of 'Yogi Ji Mandir Ka Nirman Karo'.

Yogi said that his government was committed to the development of Ayodhya through initiating various development projects. VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma said that the state government should rename cities which reek of slavery.

The CM's announcement to rename Faizabad as Ayodhya comes amid the ever-rising clamour around the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Roars of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram' rent the air as the CM addresses the people of UP. He welcomed the governors of UP and Bihar and state minister for foreign minister VK Singh. Yogi greeted saints amid a chant of " Yogihji ek kaam karo, (Ram) mandir ka nirman karo."

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In Video: Faizabad district to be known as Ayodhya: UP CM's Diwali gift