Backed by Sena, opposed by Congress; BJP sees 'political drama' in Aurangabad renaming row

As Shiv Sena mulls on renaming Aurangabad city to Sambhajinagar ahead of Municipal Corporation elections amid opposition from its ally Congress, the BJP has asked whether the move is another poll-induced drama to distract the people from real issues.

Questioning the MVA government’s intentions behind renaming the city, BJP MLA Ram Kadam said, “For five years, Shiv Sena was in power in Aurangabad as a part of the Maharashtra government but the thought of renaming the city to Sambhajinagar never crossed their mind.”

Further noting that the ruling party’s decision is being opposed by its ally Congress, Kadam asked, “Is this also a made-up dispute or a drama to cheat the people of the state?”

READ | Ramdas Athawale Breaks Ranks With Ally BJP, Opposes Renaming Aurangabad To Sambhajinagar

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.

READ | MNS Asks Shiv Sena To Honour Bal Thackeray's Word On Sambhajinagar, Alleges Doublespeak

Congress opposes move

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.

READ | Maharashtra CM Asks Centre To Rename Aurangabad Airport After Sambhaji Amid Cong Unease

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.

READ | Aurangabad Renaming Row: BJP Leader Pravin Darekar Attacks Sena