SP taunts MVA govt over Aurangabad name change politics, dares it to rename Maharashtra

SP MLA Abu Azmi has urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar to stop the politics over renaming Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar. Taking a dig at Shiv Sena, he contended that Raigad should be renamed to Sambhajinagar if "a region is developed simply by changing its name". Moreover, he dared the state government to change the name of Maharashtra to 'Maharaj Chhatrapati Maharaj Rashtra' or 'Swarajya'. Azmi attributed this to the fact that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a matter of pride for both Muslims and Hindus alike. Earlier, BJP's ally RPI threatened to start an agitation in case the MVA government renamed Aurangabad.

Read: Renaming Row: Aurangabad Was Also Called Khadki, Fatehnagar

The disagreement between Shiv Sena and Congress

On December 31, 2020, Maharashtra Congress president and state Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat announced that his party will oppose any proposal to rename Aurangabad. He maintained that this issue does not find a mention in the MVA's Common Minimum Programme. In a veiled dig at the Sena, Thorat added that the life of the common person cannot be improved by changing the names of cities.

Subsequently, Shiv Sena attempted to downplay the rift within the MVA. Addressing the media, Sena MP Sanjay Raut mentioned that changing Aurangabad's name was a mere formality as party founder Balasaheb Thackeray had himself renamed it to Sambhajinagar many years ago. At the same time, he stressed that the three-party alliance in Maharashtra would mutually resolve this issue. 

Read: After Palghar, Attack On Sadhu In Maharashtra’s Aurangabad After Heated Argument

The demand to rename Aurangabad

Aurangabad was a prominent Mughal city in the Deccan region and derives its name from the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was tortured to death by Aurangzeb. In 1995, a proposal was passed in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation to rename the city as Sambhajinagar.

However, it was challenged by Congress corporator Mushtaq Ahmed in the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court. As his plea was rejected by the HC, Ahmed moved the Supreme Court which stayed the process of renaming the city. The renaming of Aurangabad has been Shiv Sena's longstanding demand. 

Read: Shiv Sena-NCP Workers Clash In Bhiwandi Election Office; EC Files Complaint