Hyderabad: A proposal by Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind to rename the district as 'Indur', accompanied by derogatory references to the erstwhile Nizam, has triggered a political controversy in Telangana. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader’s remarks, made during a press conference on Friday, January 9, have drawn sharp condemnation from the Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT), which has demanded immediate police action.
Speaking to reporters, Dharmapuri Arvind declared that the city’s current name is merely temporary and vowed to restore its historical name. " This city was once called Indur, and we will soon restore the name…a donkey called Nizam interfered and changed the name, but this is temporary," the MP stated, urging the media and public to "get used to ‘Indur’ as soon as possible”.
Arvind framed the renaming as a key political objective for the upcoming municipal elections. He expressed confidence that the BJP would secure the necessary majority to pass a resolution for the name change, which would then be sent to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for approval.
The remarks elicited a strong reaction from MBT spokesperson Amjed Ullah Khan, who described the MP’s language as "highly objectionable, irresponsible, and provocative”. Khan accused the MP of insulting the region’s history and composite heritage by branding the Nizam’s legacy as "manhoos" (ominous).
According to the MBT, the comments are a calculated attempt to polarize society and disturb communal harmony ahead of the civic polls. Khan has demanded that the Nizamabad Police Commissioner take suo motu cognisance of the incident and register a criminal case against Arvind for promoting enmity and hurting religious sentiments.
Beyond the communal angle, the MBT spokesperson criticised both the BJP and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) for failing to address substantive governance issues in the district. Khan alleged that the inflammatory rhetoric is being used to divert public attention from critical failures regarding unemployment, poor infrastructure, sanitation, and drinking water scarcity.