Adding a new twist into the demand of renaming of cities, veteran Congressman and former Rajya Sabha MP Husain Dalwai said Pune needs to be renamed after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
“Sambhaji Maharaj was born in Purandar in Pune. He was killed in Pune,” Dalwai said, adding that it was appropriate that Pune is renamed after him.
The statement of Dalwai, a veteran activist and thinker, assumes significance in the wake of the recent developments.
“The Muslim community wants a grand memorial for Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj,” he said. “His ‘samadhi’ too is in Pune,” he said and urged Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thakeray to look into the issue of renaming Pune.
According to him, late Chief Minister Barrister AR Antulay ensured that Kulaba is named Raigad district and kept the ethos of “Marathi rajya” alive.
Dalwai, a former Maharashtra minister, said that there is also a demand to rename Aurangabad after Malik Ambar, who was one of the founders of the city. “We will take the views of Muslim community into account on this, have discussions on this and then take a call,” he said.
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