Within days of its spat with the Opposition BJP over the issue of renaming of Aurangabad city after Maratha warrior Sambhaji Maharaj, the Shiv Sena-led MVA Government on Thursday announced its decision to name the Aurangabad airport as the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport.

In an announcement made in the State Assembly, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said: “There have been lots of requests from the elected representatives that the Aurangabad airport be named after Sambhaji  Maharaj. The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation has also passed a resolution that the local airport be name ‘Dharmaveer Raje Sambhaji Bhosale Airport’.”

“At a State Cabinet meeting held today, we have approved the proposal to name airport as the Chattrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport. After obtaining the consent from both the Houses of the State Legislature, we will be making a formal request to the Civil Aviation Ministry on the naming of the Aurangabad airport as the Chattrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport,” the Chief Minister said. The MVA Government’s decision to go ahead and recommend the naming of Aurangabad airport should be seen in the context of the fact a case relating to the reaming of Aurangabad city is pending before the Supreme Court.

BJP’s State President Chandrakant Patil had on Saturday last rooted for renaming of Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar, by saying: “We are descendants of Maratha warriors Chhatrapati Shivaji Mahataj and Sambhaji Maharaj and not of Aurangazeb. Hence, Aurangabad should be named after Sambhaji Maharaj”.

Through an editorial published in its official mouth-piece “Saamana”, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday hit back at the Shiv Sena,  by saying: “The BJP has been invoking the name of Shivaji for the past five years. It has become so arrogant that it has published a book that Prime Minister Modi is himself Shivaji Maharaj... It is now demanding that Aurangabad should be renamed as Sambhajinagar.  Who prevented (former chief minister Devendra) from renaming Aurangabad after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj?”.

“From when BJP’s Dadamiya (Patil) has become a historian? If he really likes to be historian, he should have known Hinduhriday Samrat” Balasaheb Thackeray had renamed Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar 25 years ago. He had said: from now on Aurangabad would be known as Sambhajinagar. From thereon every Hindu with self-pride used to call Aurangabad as Sambhajingar,” the editorial had said.

Interestingly enough, the Shiv Sena and BJP had been ruling the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) as an alliance for the past three decades. However,  the situation has changed in Aurangabad after the Shiv Sena severed its ties with the BJP in December last year in the wake of the Sena joining hands with the NCP and Congress to form the MVA government in the state.

For the first time, the Shiv Sena will contest the AMC polls to be held in the next few weeks in alliance with the NCP and Congress against the BJP. It is no wonder that the Shiv Sena – much to the discomfort of the BJPb--  wants to cash in on its decision to name Aurangabad airport after Chhatrapati Sambhaji  Maharaj.

Reacting to the MVA Government’s decision to name Aurangabad airport as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport, senior BJP leader Asish Shelar charged that the ruling Shiv Sena was running away from the much-discussed demand for naming the Aurangabad city after Sambhaji Maharaj.

“The AMC elections are round the corner. The Shiv Sena realises that if it decides to name Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar,  its alliance partners NCP and Congress might oppose the move. Hence, the Shiv Sena has taken an easy way out of the situation by deciding to name the local airport after Sambhaji Maharaj. This is nothing but running away from the actual demand”.