Maha allies Shiv Sena and Congress spar over renaming Aurangabad city

MUMBAI: The war of words between the Shiv Sena and the Congress, both part of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), resumed on Sunday.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in his weekly Sunday column in the party mouthpiece Saamna stated that “secular” parties like the Congress were not in favour of renaming certain cities for fear of offending minorities who are their vote bank.
Revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat of the Congress, while hitting back at the Shiv Sena, asked why the Shiv Sena and BJP had not renamed Aurangabad in the five years when they were in power together.
“Our ruling partner Shiv Sena is worried about its vote bank, which is the reason behind starting a ‘saamna’ ( a competition”) for renaming,” Thorat said, adding that there was no threat to the MVA government in the state.
Raut, executive editor of Saamna, in his weekly column Rokhthok taunted the Congress for not supporting the Shiv Sena for the renaming of Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar. He raised questions over the “secular image” of the Congress.
“Aurangzeb was not secular but a very cruel administrator. He had restrictions on Hindu festivals, religious ceremonies, worships. He was a fanatic. He wanted to make India a Muslim country,” the daily newspaper said.
Saamna, while coming down heavily on the Congress, said: “Those opposing the renaming have raised questions, asking whether renaming would solve the people’s problems or the development issues. Whatever it is, there is a large section of people who do not want any sign left behind of Aurangzeb, at least in Maharashtra. One can call it Shiv bhakti (devotion to Shivaji Maharaj), Maharashtra’s self-esteem or the sense of history.”
A statement issued by Thorat on social media stated: “Our ruling partner Sena is worried about its votes, hence it has started Saamna for renaming.”
“Sambhaji Maharaj is our deity and we will oppose if one would try to use his name for vote politics,” Thorat said.
Slamming the BJP, he said that people treat statements by BJP as a form of entertainment.