The Union Government has given its approval to rename the cities of Aurangabad and Osmanabad in the state of Maharashtra. The move comes after demands from various groups to change the names of these cities to reflect their cultural and historical significance. The decision was announced by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in the Lok Sabha.
Aurangabad will be renamed as Sambhaji Nagar, after the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, while Osmanabad will be renamed as Dharashiv. Sambhaji was a brave warrior and a popular figure in Maratha history. Dharashiv was the birthplace of Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, a renowned social reformer and the founder of the princely state of Kolhapur.
The demand to rename Aurangabad has been a long-standing one, with various groups claiming that the city’s name was a symbol of the Mughal rule in India and did not reflect the Maratha pride. The demand to rename Osmanabad was also made on similar grounds, as the name referred to the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
The decision to rename the cities was welcomed by various political parties and social groups in Maharashtra. The ruling Shiv Sena party had been demanding the renaming of Aurangabad for many years, and its leader Aaditya Thackeray thanked the Union Government for the decision.
However, the decision was also criticized by some opposition parties and social groups, who claimed that the move was aimed at dividing people along religious and caste lines. They also argued that changing the names of cities would not solve the larger problems facing the state, such as unemployment, poverty, and corruption.
The process of renaming the cities will involve changing the official names of the cities in various government documents, signboards, and other public places. The Maharashtra state government will also have to pass a resolution in the state assembly to implement the name changes.
The renaming of cities has been a contentious issue in India, with various groups demanding changes to reflect their cultural and historical identities. In recent years, there have been demands to change the names of various cities and landmarks across the country, with some groups arguing that the current names are symbols of colonial rule or do not reflect the local identity.