RULING ALLIES Shiv Sena and Congress sparred Friday over the identify of Aurangabad, the place civic polls are slated to be held this 12 months, with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray persevering with to discuss with town as Sambhaji Nagar and saying that whereas the coalition’s agenda adheres to secularism, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb “does not fit into it”.
Responding to the Congress’s objection to him referring to Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar to honour the Maratha ruler, Thackeray informed reporters: “Aurangzeb was not a secular person. While our agenda has the word secular in it, a person like Aurangazeb does not fit into it.”
Thackeray’s remarks assume significance with the Shiv Sena taking a distinct stance on secularism from its allies on this problem.
When it was identified that he had referred to Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar on his official Twitter deal with over the previous two days, Thackeray stated: “What new thing have I done? I have done what we have been saying for over so many years and what the Shiv Sena supremo (Bal Thackeray) had said.”
The Chief Minister was talking to reporters after a operate to welcome Vasant Gite and Sunil Bagul again into the Shiv Sena from the BJP, which that they had joined a while in the past.
On Wednesday, Thackeray had referred to Sambhaji Nagar whereas saying a Cabinet choice on Twitter about including 165 beds and creating 360 posts in Aurangabad’s authorities medical school and most cancers hospital. The tweet tagged Medical Education Minister and Congress chief Amit Deshmukh. On Thursday, the Chief Minister’s Twitter deal with put out two tweets referring to Sambhaji Nagar.
Asked concerning the reference to Sambhaji Nagar, Congress chief, former chief minister and present Public Works Minister Ashok Chavan stated that altering the identify of Aurangabad was not a precedence for his social gathering. “This is a three-party government, the issues which are not a priority can be discussed in the coordination committee between the parties,” he stated.
Chavan additionally invoked former prime minister A B Vajpayee to remind the Shiv Sena to honour coalition sentiments. “I vaguely remember something Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said about Ram Mandir. He had said that while it was something he wanted to do, his government did not have the majority to do it,” he stated.
Congress state president and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat stated: “It is not about Aurangzeb. We also adore Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Our opposition is to the politics being played over the renaming of cities that creates a rift among people. We will explain our stand and convince the CM.”
Shiv Sena chief and MP Sanjay Raut defended Thackeray’s tweets. “Is it a crime to use the name of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje? There is nothing wrong in using the names of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in government records and Twitter. It is public sentiment and the government functions on public sentiment,” stated Raut.
Raut claimed that even the Congress leaders who’re opposing the renaming of the Aurangabad are followers of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj “at heart”.
