Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday lashed out against his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah’s reported move to name a new metro railway station coming up in the Shivaji Nagar locality of Bengaluru, after St Mary.
“I condemn the Karnataka government’s move to name Shivaji Nagar metro station in Bengaluru after St Mary. It is an insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Congress has continued its tradition of insulting the Maratha warrior king since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, who made comments against Shivaji Maharaj in his book ‘Discovery Of India’. I pray to the almighty to give sense to Siddaramaiah to reconsider his proposal,” Fadnavis told media persons.
However, on January 14, 2015, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis himself had tweeted photographs on his X handle, showing him attending the ‘Daddy’s Day Out’ event at South Mumbai’s prestigious Cathedral & John Connon School, where his daughter Divija Fadnavis is a student, and the media too had covered the event extensively.
Reacting to the statement by Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s Anand Dubey spokesperson said, “We appeal Siddaramaiah to reconsider his proposal. Earlier, the place was called Shivaji Nagar and it is still called Shivaji Nagar. In fact, ideally, the metro railway station must be called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Nagar and not just Shivaji Nagar. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a legendary icon respected by one and all. He laid the foundation of Hindavi Swaraj. Public sentiments must be respected. Politics should be avoided”.
Targeting the BJP, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s Anand Dubey spokesperson said, “But the BJP has no moral right to talk about Shivaji Maharaj. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for a Shivaji statue in the Arabian Sea, but there has been no progress since then. So the BJP should not stoke the fire. We will talk to our ally (Congress) and find a solution”.
Maharashtra BJP Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Chitra Wagh supported the statement by Fadnavis and said, “The hatred of the Congress against Shivaji Maharaj had been exposed. It was Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad who demanded that Bengaluru’s Shivaji Nagar metro station be renamed after St Mary. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also sent a proposal to the central government for a name change. Will Maharashtra Congress clarify its position on this issue, or will it remain silent?”
BJP Maharashtra spokesperson Navnath Ban said, “In Karnataka, the Congress government changed the name of Shivaji Nagar station named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, but Sanjay Raut did not protest against this insult to Shivaji and kept quiet. On the contrary, he shifted the responsibility and said that Sharad Pawar and Fadnavis should speak about the issue. Devabhau (Fadnavis) immediately protested, but Sanjay Raut was silent.
“The public will not tolerate any insult to Shivaji Maharaj. If Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and ‘Chhote Miyan’ Aaditya Thackeray do not leave the alliance led by the Congress, then the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena will be wiped out in the coming elections,” he said.
The row erupted after Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah reportedly assured Archbishop Peter Machado on Monday during the annual feast at St Mary’s Basilica church located in Bengaluru’s Shivaji Nagar, that the Karnataka government will “positively consider” naming the upcoming Pink Line metro railway station after St Mary. Reportedly, Siddaramaiah also promised funding support to support the renovation of St Mary’s Basilica located at Shivaji Nagar.
Siddaramaiah was reported as saying that he had proposed to the central government that the new metro railway station coming up at Shivaji Nagar should be named after St Mary. Reportedly, CM Siddaramaiah also said that the proposal to name the metro station after St Mary will be presented to the central government, and the request would be processed as per regular government procedure.
Local Shivaji Nagar Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad was also quoted saying, “I am formally proposing to name the metro station as Shivajinagar St Mary. This is to honour the iconic St Mary’s Basilica, which has a rich history. The Basilica is located close to the Shivaji Nagar bus depot and there will be no room for confusion for the passengers as well.”