Shinde-Led Maha Govt Approves Renaming Of Aurangabad, Osmanabad. Navi Mumbai Airport To Be Named After DB Patil

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that Aurangabad will be renamed Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde addressed the media with his deputy Devendra Fadnavis.

Source : ANI

New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that the state government Saturday decided to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv while Navi Mumbai airport will be named after former Lok Sabha MP DB Patil.

"The Decision was earlier taken by Uddhav Thackeray in his last cabinet, but it was illegal. So, this was decided today": CM Shinde said as he addressed the media with his deputy Devendra Fadnavis.

The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government, in its last cabinet meeting on June 29, had approved proposals to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv.

Aurangabad was named after Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The had been a longstanding demand to rename it after 17th century ruler Sambhaji, the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire. Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray had also raised the demand.

Osmanabad derives its name from Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last ruler of Hyderabad. Dharashiv was the city’s old name.

Shiv Sena vs Congress On Renaming Aurangabad

The MVA government had Shiv Sena supporting the demand of renaming Aurangabad while its ally Congress opposed it.

In a barb at Congress, an editorial in Shiv Sena's mouthpiece "Saamana" said that the renaming of Aurangabad might affect the vote bank of "secular parties" as the renaming will upset the Muslim society.

"India's constitution is secular... Aurangzeb had a strong hatred for other religions. He tortured Sikhs and Hindus. Why should we pay attention to their relics? Who was Aurangzeb? At least, Maharashtra does not need to explain this.....Therefore, there is no reason for a true Marathi and hardcore Hindu to have an attachment for Aurangzeb," the editorial published in January 2021 read.

Navi Mumbai Airport

In its final decisions, the MVA government had also approved naming the new international airport at Navi Mumbai as 'Loknete Swargiya DB Patil International Airport'.

Notably, Navi Mumbai saw a protest last year over the naming of the international airport in the city.

The protest was organised by the locals under the aegis of Navi Mumbai International Airport Namakaran Kruti Sameeti.

The agitators demanded that the Navi Mumbai Airport be named after the socialist leader, Dinkar Balu Patil, whereas, the Shiv Sena-led MVA government had earlier announced that it intends to name the airport after their founder Bala Thackeray.

(With Agency Inputs)