Maharashtra: Centre approves renaming of Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv
2 min read . Updated: 25 Feb 2023, 07:32 AM IST
Premium- On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approved the proposal and said the central government had no objection to changing the names of both districts of Maharashtra.
The Centre on 24 February approved the renaming of two Maharashtra cities - Aurangabad and Osmanabad. Aurangabad will now be renamed as `Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar' while Osmanabad will be called `Dharashiv'.
On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approved the proposal and said the central government had "no objection" to changing the names of both districts of Maharashtra.
Sharing the news on Twitter, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote, “Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar' of Aurangabad, 'Dharashiv' of Osmanabad! The central government approves the decision of the state government! Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and Union Minister Hon. Many thanks to Amitbhai Shah! The government under the leadership of Chief Minister @mieknathshindeji has 'demonstrated'...!
Aurangabad derives its name from Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, while Osmanabad was named for a 20th century ruler of the princely state of Hyderabad.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji who was 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.
The Hindu right-wing organisations had been demanding renaming of the two cities since a long time. As per the letters, the Centre had no objection to the change in the names of these two central Maharashtra cities.
Notably, to rename 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.
Opposing the news of renaming Aurangabad city, MP and All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Imtiaz Jaleel in a tweet said that they will show their strength for Aurangabad.
"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," he tweeted.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said the renaming was a victory of Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray's stand. Danve, leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, tweeted that Thackeray had "renamed" the city of Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar way back on May 9, 1988.
"The name of the person (Aurangzeb) who broke the temple of Kashi Vishweshwar has been erased," he wrote.
(With inputs from PTI)