Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has taken a swipe at UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alluding to name change of places by the ruling BJP government in the heartland state.

Allahabad, Faizabad, and the names of many other places and landmarks have been changed under Yogi Adityanath. These decisions have become a staple of memes on social media, which Mr Yadav appeared to be aware of.

While discussing how the Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj has been organised, and fighting off Opposition criticism of alleged inadequate planning, Yogi Adityanath said, “Cricketer Mohammed Shami also took bath in the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. There was no discrimination.”

Mr Yadav appeared to have spotted something in the chief minister’s comment.

In a post on X, the former UP chief minister from the Samajwadi Party said, “Now, will you change the name of a cricketer too?”

अब क्या क्रिकेटर का भी नाम बदल दिया?

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) February 19, 2025

It was cricketer Mohammad Kaif who took a plunge into the River Yamuna in Prayagraj, nearly two weeks before the Maha Kumbh began on January 13.

“I learnt how to swim in this very same Yamuna,” Mohammad Kaif wrote in a video post on X on December 29, 2024.

Mohammad Kaif is a resident of Prayagraj.

The video that he posted on December 29 showed the cricketer jumping into the cold water from a boat.

Abe isi Jamuna ji mein tairaki seekha hoon 😀 #sangam #prayagraj pic.twitter.com/yVs67yJMWb

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) December 29, 2024

Yogi Adityanath has been warding off attacks by leaders of the Opposition bloc INDIA over allegations that organisers of the Maha Kumbh have not done enough to ensure the event went smoothly.

The Opposition has cited stampedes, traffic jams that are hundreds of kilometres long, high levels of faecal coliform in water, etc to criticise the organisers of the massive religious gathering.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the Maha Kumbh a “Mrityu Kumbh”.

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari termed Ms Banerjee’s comment on the Maha Kumbh as “hate Sanatan and Hindus”. Mr Bhandari also aimed at the opposition bloc, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, calling them “haters” of Hindus and Sanatana dharma.

“Yesterday, Akhilesh Yadav was looking for Akbar in Maha Kumbh, Rahul Gandhi has still not come to visit Maha Kumbh… They are scared of Sanatan’s unity, and their Hindu hatred is evident,” Mr Bhandari said.