I have no issues whether you call it Sambhaji Nagar or Dharashiv: Sharad Pawar on Aurangabad, Osmanabad row

Amid a war of words between Shiv Sena and Congress – the two Maha Vikas Aghadi partners – over renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said that it does not matter much for him.

The 80-year-old Pawar is the architect of the three-party MVA alliance – and his statement assumes significance.

The Shiv Sena, that is led by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, had been demanding renaming of Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv, however, the state Congress has vehemently opposed the demand.

“We have no issues....(whether) you say Sambhaji Nagar or (whether) you say Dharashiv...or say anything else...I don’t take the matter seriously...so I never commented anything on this,” said Pawar, a four-time Maharashtra chief minister and three-time union minister.

In fact, Thackeray in official communications have started referring to the two cities as Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv – a development to which state Congress president and revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat has reacted sharply by saying that the party was against renaming of cities and that they should concentrate in enhancing basic amenities and focus on infrastructure development.

Meanwhile, a senior Congress leader said that the MVA has been formed on the basis of a common minimum programme. “Let’s focus on that...and leave other issues at this stage...there are several issues to concentrate on and the three parties know about it....we should not go in for what the BJP wants,” he added.