BJP members sport black ribbons over renaming issue

CLEARED SKHER

Aurangabad

: The BJP members wore black clothes and ribbons to express their protest against the state government over the delay in renaming the city and submitted a reminder for the 4th time to mayor on Thursday.

Incidentally, BJP group leader in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) Pramod Rathod had submitted a letter to the mayor in December 2019 asking that a proposal be brought to the general body to change the name of the city to

Sambhaji Nagar

.

Rathod had stated in the letter that changing the name of the city from Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar was the dream of Balasaheb Thackeray. Now, as his son Uddhav Thackeray is the chief minister of the state, it will be convenient to change the name, he stated.

BJP members submitted a reminder about the proposal to change the name to the mayor in the subsequent general body meetings held on January 7, February 6, February 18. On Thursday, the BJP corporators tried to attract the attention of the mayor by wearing black.

However, the agitation did not receive any response from mayor Nandkumar Ghodele. Earlier, Ghodele, deputy mayor Rajendra Janjal and former standing committee chairman Renukadas Vaidya, all from Shiv Sena, had attacked the BJP stating the previous government under chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had failed to take any steps towards the name changing.

The mayor had stated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government under Thackeray, however, is committed to change the name. He said that it will happen during this government’s term.

The members of MIM in the GB termed the push by the BJP to change the name as an attempt to divert attention from developmental issues.