HUDA rhymes with Hooda, so Khattar-led Haryana govt changes its name!

HUDA renamed HSVP; minister Anil Vij says similarity of urban authority’s name with former CM Hooda causing confusion.

The BJP government in Haryana has changed the name of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) as Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP).

This was decided at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday.

Social justice and empowerment minister Krishan Kumar Bedi told reporters that the state government found it apt to have HUDA renamed in Hindi, the way it named Gurgaon as Gurugram and Ballabhgarh as Balramgarh. It also christened Haryana’s golden jubilee year (2016-17) Swarn Jayanti Varsh.

After the cabinet meeting, Haryana health minister Anil Vij had a different take. He said HUDA was often misunderstood as it rhymed with the name of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Hooda is facing CBI investigation in an industrial plot allotment case, the Associate Journal Limited case and the Manesar land case. “The premises of Hooda and his associates are often raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation. But if one says that a Hooda premises was raided, people mistake it for a raid on HUDA,” Vij said, explaining the confusion.

Reacting to Vij’s remarks, Congress leaders said that changing the name of HUDA showed the ruling BJP was worried about the increasing popularity of Hooda.

The renaming of the urban development authority is being seen as a deliberate bid to push the BJP government’s Hindutva agenda.