Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani during an interaction with the media said that the government has applied for a patent to change the name of the dragon fruit to ‘Kamalam’ as its shape resembles a lotus. He further added that the name ‘dragon fruit’ is associated with ‘China.’
The Chief Minister said, “The government has applied for a patent of the dragon fruit to be called as ‘Kamalam.’ The name dragon fruit doesn’t sound appropriate. The word ‘Kamalam’ in Sanskrit means Lotus and the fruit does look like a lotus. So, we have decided to call it Kamalam and there is nothing political about it.”
Dragon Fruit is a tropical fruit and it has become quite popular in India in the recent years. In Gujarat, farmers in Kutch and Navasari cultivate dragon fruit in large quantities.
It is interesting to note that the name of the BJP’s headquarters in Gandhinagar is ‘Shri Kamalam’ and the symbol of the BJP party, the lotus.
The CM's announcement drew a flurry of reactions on social media. "The dragon has been slayed," joked Congress MP Karti Chidambaram. Meanwhile, many Twitter uses too reacted stating 'biggest Indian strike against China.'