Mehbooba Mufti, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister. (Reuters photo)

SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday termed the move to rename cities as an election gimmick, saying it was an "assault" on the Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb (cross-culture) that the country is rooted in.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister was reacting to Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik 's letter to chief minister Yogi Adityanath to rename Sultanpur as Khush Bhawanpur.

"The move to rename cities is an election gimmick & an assault on the Ganga Jamuna tehzeeb culture that our country is rooted in. Also, why are governors getting involved in such matters? Far from their constitutionally defined role of being impartial & apolitical," Mufti tweeted.

Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb is an Urdu term used for the culture of the central plains of Northern India, especially the doab region of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, which is regarded as a fusion of Hindu and Muslim elements.

