Lucknow/New Delhi: After a spate of renaming towns and cities across Uttar Pradesh, including Allahabad and Faizabad, the Yogi Adityanath government is contemplating a ban on liquor and meat products in the holy cities of Prayagraj, Mathura and Ayodhya. 

Obliterating the signs of cultural domination by the British Raj and Muslim era of Indian history upon symbols of Hindu tradition has been a cornerstone of the Hindutva ideology, but giving a pride of place to centres of Hindu spirituality and religion would is expected to help the BJP in the 2019 elections. 

Talking to MyNation, UP BJP spokesperson Chandra Mohan said the demand for a meat-and-alcohol ban has been raised by seers and saints of the Hindu religion and the government is thus seriously thinking over the possibility. 

"The demand has been raised by the sadhus and saints of Hindu religion ahead of the Kumbh in Prayagraj. We are thinking over it and the demand pertains to Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Mathura," he said, adding, "These holy places will be converted into teerth sthals (pilgrimage centres)".

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh minister Shrikant Sharma had said that the government was seriously thinking of banning liquor and meat in Ayodhya and Mathura — the land of Rama and Krishna — and, for doing so, they would be converted into teerth sthals.