The Congress on Monday started competing with its alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party in taking credit for the proposal to rename Dadar railway station to Chaityabhoomi. Moreover, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has taken a lead over the Shiv Sena by opposing the move.
State Congress chief Manikrao Thakre said that his party wants Dadar railway station to be renamed as Chaityabhoomi, and has been raising the issue for over a year.
Speaking at the state Congress office, Mr Thakre said, “It was our demand that Dadar station should be renamed as Chaityabhomi. We had written a letter to the Union railway minister last year asking for the change.”
He further said that his party would once again write a letter to the Union railway ministry to remind them about the demand.
However, Mr Thakre denied that the NCP is trying to hijack the issue from the Congress. “The Congress and the NCP have same ideologies. Therefore, it was obvious that the NCP also has same stand on the issue. There is no question of hijacking. If the NCP is also making the same demand, we will welcome it,” he said.
Further, NCP spokesperson Prakash Binsale said that the party has taken the issue to party chief Sharad Pawar. “We will now wait for Mr Pawar’s decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said that no place in the state should be renamed, and his party will oppose any such move. “There is selfish politics behind every demand of renaming places. Has the change in the name of Victoria Terminus to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus created any additional facilities for commuters? The Marathwada University was renamed after Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, but the curriculum has remained the same,” he said.