UP CM, Defence Minister Rajnath unveil Lord Laxman Idol in Lucknow

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled a 12-feet tall statue of Lord Laxman near the Lucknow airport on Thursday, along with inaugurating other projects.

Speaking on the occasion, Singh, who represents Lucknow in the Lok Sabha, said he was working to realize the dreams of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Vajpayee also represented Lucknow in the lower house of Parliament. The union minister said that Uttar Pradesh's strict law and order system is the biggest reason for development in the state.

This is being discussed not only in India, but also among Indians settled abroad. There is an ongoing discussion on ease of doing business, Singh said. The Chief Minister said the whole world will see a new story of Uttar Pradesh's development on Friday at the Global Investors Summit-2023, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to him, there are countless investment opportunities within the state.

Today, Uttar Pradesh is moving at a fast pace in terms of development and is now known as an excellent investment and tourism destination with highway connectivity, Adityanath said. The speed with which farmers and youth have accelerated development has made the state the "New Uttar Pradesh of New India", he said.

Apart from the unveiling of a large statue of Laxman at the airport, the flyover from Shaheed Path to the airport, a beautification project of development projects related to the G-20 and Global Investors Summit and the Kargil Victory Memorial were also unveiled. In another development, BJP MP Sangamlal Gupta wrote a letter to PM Modi demanding that Lucknow be renamed "Lakhanpur or Laxmanpur". He said the city got its present name in the 18th century from Nawab Asafuddaul.

The MP for Pratapgarh claimed that Lord Ram gave the town to his brother Laxman, and it was earlier known as "Lakhanpur" or "Laxmanpur". Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak also said that it is well known that Lucknow was earlier known as "Laxman Nagri" and the state government will act "according to the situation".