Gujarat renames THIS fruit as 'Kamalam', CM Vijay Rupani says no politics behind renaming

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday (January 19) said that his government has decided to rename dragon fruit as “Kamalam” as the outer shape of the fruit resembles a lotus.

"The State government has decided rename dragon fruit. As the outer shape of the fruit resembles a lotus, hence dragon fruit shall be renamed as Kamalam. We have applied for the patent of the dragon fruit to be called as Kamalam," said CM Rupani.

“The name of dragon fruit is associated with China and we have changed it,” he added. 

Notably, Kamalam means Lotus in Sanskrit. Dragon Fruit is a tropical fruit and it has become quite popular in India in the recent years.

The Gujarat chief minister, however, asserted that there is no politics behind renaming dragon fruit. 

In Gujarat, farmers in Kutch and Navasari cultivate dragon fruit in large quantities. It is to be noted that the BJP office in Gujarat is also named ‘Kamalam’.

It is learnt that the Gujarat Forest Department has already sent a petition to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to name the fruit Kamalam. The fruit was also mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 'Mann Ki Baat' on July 26, 2020.