A Dhangar community leader on Saturday demanded that the Churchgate railway station in south Mumbai be renamed after Ahilyabai Holkar, the revered queen of the Maratha-ruled Malwa kingdom. Talking to reporters here, Dhangar leader Prakash Shendage also launched a sharp attack on the BJP over its alleged failure to deliver on the promise of granting his community Scheduled Tribes (ST) status.
Dhangar, a shepherd community in the state, is currently on the Nomadic Tribes (NT) list. Its members have been demanding reservation benefits under the ST quota for the past several years. When asked about the demand for renaming Churchgate station, Shendage said, "There is neither any church nor any gate here, so why retain the name Churchgate?"
"An intersection close to it has already been named after Ahilyabai Holkar. Now it is time the station also carries her legacy," he said. Attacking the ruling BJP, he said the party has failed to fulfil the promise of granting reservation to Dhangars. "The man who promised ST status to the Dhangars is now the chief minister. He has held the post twice earlier, yet the community has received nothing," Shendage said without naming CM Devendra Fadnavis.