Maharashtra CM asks Centre to rename Aurangabad airport after Sambhaji amid Cong unease

Amid Congress' war of words with the Sena, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday urged the Centre to rename Aurangabad airport after Chhatrapati Sambhaji. The renaming of Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar has been Shiv Sena's longstanding demand. In a letter addressed to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, he requested the issuance of a notification renaming the airport to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport at the earliest. 

According to Thackeray, the Maharashtra Cabinet has taken a decision in this regard. Moreover, he highlighted that a resolution on the renaming of the Aurangabad airport was unanimously approved by both Houses of the state legislature during the Budget session in 2020. The Shiv Sena supremo also revealed that the Chief Secretary has already communicated with the Civil Aviation Ministry regarding the renaming of the airport. 

Read: SP Taunts MVA Govt Over Aurangabad Name Change Politics, Dares It To Rename Maharashtra

Congress vows to oppose the proposal

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.

Maharashtra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat remarked, "This is not included in the Common Minimum Programme. Congress does not believe in changing names but focusing on development. The development of the common person cannot take place by changing names. The agenda of the Maha Vikas Aghadi is to empower the common person and make him happy. If such a proposal comes up, we will oppose it."

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

'Drama company' 

Reacting to the CM's letter, his predecessor Devendra Fadnavis opined that the Centre will take a decision on officially changing the airport's name at an appropriate time. However, he dubbed the current faceoff between Shiv Sena and Congress over the renaming of Aurangabad as a civic polls-induced drama. Speaking to the media, he alleged that this was an attempt to distract the people's attention from the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation's alleged failure to address the people's problems. While the election to the AMC was due in 2020, it was delayed owing to the COVID-19 crisis.

Former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis commented, "The Centre will take a decision at an appropriate time. There is no problem. But why are such proposals put forth just before the election? The Municipal Corporation is inactive and you (Sena) have not been able to resolve any problems of the people. They are bringing up news as they cannot face the people. They want the polls to be based on such issues and moreover, have a 'fixed match' whereby one party says do this and the other opposes it. I reiterate what I said yesterday- this is a drama company."

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