Aurangabad, July 12:
“We will strive till our last breath to stop the renaming of the city. We have high respect for great leaders like Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Shiv Sena has no right to change the 400-year-old name of the city. If they (Sena) want to have a city named Sambhajinagar, they can do it by developing a new city. We are also ready to submit the proposal for the new city if they wish,” said MP Imtiaz Jaleel.
He was addressing a gathering organised at Aam Khas Ground on Tuesday evening by Aurangabad Namantar Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti. Earlier, Namantar Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti took out a procession from Bhadkal Gate. The procession turned into a public meeting when it reached Aam Khas ground in the evening. Members of different parties and communities addressed the gathering.
MP Imtiaz Jaleel said that the decision to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv was taken when the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray realised the fall of Government on the same day.
“If they really love Sambhaji Maharaj, they should have taken the decision in 2014 when BJP and Sena alliance had Government in the State. Both the parties which ruled the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation for 30 years just used the renaming issue for political benefits. The people of the city will not tolerate it anymore. The agitation will be intensified if the decision is not withdrawn by the Government,” he said.
Jaleel said that the administration in the country can only be done as per the Constitution. “The renaming is being imposed on the city. Let people decide which name is to be given to the city. We have never used the names of great leaders for political interest. The then CM Thackeray announced two months ago that the city will be renamed after its all-round development. What miracle has taken place during the last month,” he said. The MP also criticised Congress and NCP leaders.