What’s in a name? Understanding the timing of Shiv Sena’s decision to rename Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar

Amid the looming threat of him losing his seat of power as he faces a call for a floor test , Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has called for a Cabinet meet today where a decision to rename Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar will be made.

The decision at today’s meet comes on the heels of Transport Minister Anil Parab of the Shiv Sena making the demand of renaming Aurangabad city in central Maharashtra to Sambhajinagar.

Also read: Maharashtra: Aurangabad, floor test and Uddhav Thackeray’s endgame

The timing of the decision is notable as the Shiv Sena, in the recent past, has been accused by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of compromising with its core ideology of Hindutva.

Moreover, Uddhav is fighting to hold on to power after Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari ordered for a floor test on Thursday.

Aurangabad or Sambhajinagar?

Built in 1610 by Malik Ambar of the Nizam Shahi dynasty, Aurangabad’s orginal name was Khadki. It was later renamed Aurangabad after it became the headquarters of Aurangzeb during his rule over the Deccan.

Aurangzeb lived and even died when he was tortured and killed Chhatrapati Sambahji Maharaj, son of the Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Aurangabad.

In fact, Aurangzeb was laid to rest at Khuldabad village about 25 kilometres away from Aurangabad as per his dying wish. Unlike several grand tombs built in the memory of Mughal Emperors, the Aurangzeb Tomb is an unmarked grave at the Dargah of his spiritual guru, Sheikh Zainuddin.

When the Shiv Sena expanded beyond the Mumbai-Thane region and won the local body elections in the city in 1988 Shiv Sena chief, the late Bal Thackeray, announced that the city would be renamed Sambhajinagar.

In election rallies that followed in the city, senior Thackeray would often throw the Marathi phrase ‘Khan ya Baan’ (Khan or the bow and arrow that is the Sena’s election symbol) at voters.

Till date, Shiv Sena shakhas (offices) in the city advertise their address as Sambhajinagar. People living in and around Marathwada Sanskrutik Mandal Ground — from where Thackeray had made the promise of renaming the city — also refer to Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar.

Attempts to change name

The first attempt to change the name of Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar occurred in 1995 when the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) passed a resolution on the same.

Then Chief Minister Manohar Joshi even issued a notification seeking public suggestions and objections on changing the city’s name. However, a Congress corporator, Mushtaq Ahmed, challenged it in the Bombay High Court. The case went to the Supreme Court, which ordered status quo in 1996.

When the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government came to power in 1999, they withdrew the notification, only for it to be re-introduced later by former chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.

Courting controversy

While the BJP and Shiv Sena keep pushing for the name to be changed, the NCP and Congress have completely opposed the move.

The matter has repeatedly courted controversy and the latest incident took place in January 2021 when Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray referred to Aurangabad as “Sambhajinagar,” after the Maratha king who was also Shivaji’s son.

Additionally, a tweet from the chief minister’s official Twitter handle also raised eyebrows.

मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव बाळासाहेब ठाकरे यांच्या अध्यक्षतेखाली झालेल्या मंत्रिमंडळाच्या बैठकीत आज पुढीलप्रमाणे निर्णय घेण्यात आले.#मंत्रिमंडळनिर्णय @AmitV_Deshmukh pic.twitter.com/LqkMo2uXgi

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) January 6, 2021

Earlier too, in March 2020, the Maharashtra Cabinet cleared a proposal to rename the Aurangabad airport as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport.

But the Congress has expressed its opposition to the renaming issue. Congress Aurangabad District president Kalyan Kale was quoted as telling The Print, “We only believe in the MVA’s common minimum programme. We want development, good roads, and adequate water. I don’t think Shiv Sena will disagree with any of this…. Renaming the city should not be a political agenda. If you ask people about whether they mind calling the city Sambhajinagar, nobody will object. But, is it the need of the hour? No.”

Politics of renaming

The renaming of Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar will earn the Shiv Sena brownie points at a time when they are fighting an internal rebellion and their stake to power.

Also, the renaming will help them as their Hindutva credentials keep being questioned by the BJP as well as the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray. It would also give the tiger an opportunity to bare its saffron fangs once again.

BJP Maharashtra unit president Chandrakant Patil said renaming Aurangabad was not a political issue for the party but a matter of faith. “Even Balasaheb himself was of the opinion that the name should be changed. We are not bothered with the differences of opinion between the Congress and Shiv Sena. We want the Shiv Sena to stay true to the demand made by Balasaheb,” he told the Times of India.

If the Sena is able to achieve Bal Thackeray’s dream, it will also have the upper hand over its MVA allies of the NCP and Congress.

The Congress continues to oppose the renaming, fearing that such a move will upset its Muslim supporters in the city. Also, the failure of the Congress in the matter will be used by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi as a betrayal of the former’s secular credentials.

With inputs from agencies

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