Maharashtra: The name-changing game has elongated its root to Maharashtra. The Ministry of Home Affairs today approved to rename the cities Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv respectively. Home affairs ministry on Friday approved the proposal to change the name of the two cities of Maharashtra and claimed that the government in power had 'no objection' to the same.
History behind the name of cities Aurangabad and Osmanabad
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shared the news on Twitter. Aurangabad derives its name from the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, while Osmanabad was named for a 20th-century ruler of the princely state of Hyderabad. Chhatrapati Sambhaji, the eldest son of warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was the second ruler of the Maratha state founded by his father. Sambhaji Maharaj was executed on Aurangzeb's orders in 1689.
Dharashiv, the name of a cave complex near Osmanabad, dates back to the 8th century as per some scholars. Hindu right-wing organisations had been demanding the renaming of the two cities for a long.
Centre had no objection
Fadnavis tweeted two letters from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the deputy secretary of the state General Administration Department dated February 24. The letters stated that the Centre had no objection to the change in the names of these two central Maharashtra cities.
Fadnavis thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the decision. The state government headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ''did what was promised '', he said.
Soon after the news came, the BJP and Shiv Sena workers burst crackers and play the drums.
Last cabinet decision of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government
Notably, renaming Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv was the last cabinet decision of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government which collapsed last June following Shinde's rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray. The new government headed by Shinde scrapped the cabinet decision and took a fresh decision.
Highlighting the fact, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on the matter said, 'The proposal to name Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv from today was passed by us in our last cabinet meeting. I am happy that the government approved it today. Fadnavis is digging out many old things, but I have nothing to say about it.
Backlash
However, the central and the state government faced backlash. AIMIM Member Imtiaz Jaleel taking to Twitter wrote, 'Aurangabad is, was and will always be our city. Now, wait for our show of strength for Aurangabad. A massive morcha for our beloved city! Get ready Aurangabadis to defeat these forces (BJP) playing politics in the name of our city. We condemn & we will fight.
(with inputs from PTI)
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