Union heavy industries minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Monday took a dig at chief minister and his one-time protégé Ashok Chavan who added the honourific “Rao” to his name, saying no leader could force people to give respect.
“It should be left to people’s wish whether to add ‘Rao’ in the name or not,” Mr Deshmukh said, in a veiled hint to the chief minister’s office having a new nameplate — that of “Ashokrao Chavan”.
“I have always taken my name as Vilas Deshmukh and never added or forced the people to call me Vilasrao in my entire life. It was the true love of people that they always called me ‘Vilasrao’ with respect,” he told reporters during a visit to temple town Pandharpur here.
“No leader can get respect by forcing people to do so (address one with ‘Rao’),” he said.
A fortnight ago, the old nameplate at the chief minister’s official residence “Varsha” in Malabar Hill bearing the name Mr Ashok Chavan’s gave way to a shiny brass nameplate with the name “Ashokrao Chavan”. —PTI