Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday accused the state government of “playing politics” with BR Ambedkar’s name to get “cheap publicity”. The government had on Wednesday asked all state departments and High Court benches to use Ambedkar’s middle name “Ramji” in their documents and records.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that the government should follow Ambedkar’s path instead of altering his name. Another party leader, Anurag Bhadoria, told PTI that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh was “playing politics with the name of the Dalit icon”.

Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati said that the step was just to get “fake and cheap popularity”, even as “Babasaheb’s followers are being inflicted with atrocities”.

Congress leader Surendra Rajput said the BJP only follows names and not the work done by that person. “It will be better if the BJP works on saving and strengthening the Constitution. Ambedkar cannot be eulogised by weakening the Constitution,” he added.

Bihar legislator Shyam Rajak of the Janata Dal (United) said the government’s move “smacks of mischief”, PTI reported. He said the order was an attempt to “impose the agenda of Manuvad [teachings of Manu]” and “divert the attention of the Dalits from the infringement of their rights”.

A Bharatiya Janata Party MP also criticised the order, saying he found no reason to use an altered name for Ambedkar. “It’s an individual’s freedom to decide how he wants to be known,” Udit Raj, an MP from North West Delhi, told ANI. “Why create a controversy unnecessarily? The Dalit community has expressed its displeasure.”

Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, however, justified the move by saying “Ramji” was Ambedkar’s middle name and Hindi-speaking states had been writing his name incorrectly. “I am a Marathi and so was he,” Naik said. “[Also] his name is written as Bhim and Rao as two words, however, the correct way to write is Bhimrao.”

Naik had made the recommendation to the government to issue the directive.