MUMBAI: In a battle of political oneupmanship, the two-member cabinet of the Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis government on Saturday re-approved the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad districts. It also gave a fresh nod for the naming of the Navi Mumbai international airport. The proposals were first approved by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government at its last cabinet meeting, but the new Shiv Sena-BJP government has said those decisions were illegal.
The chief minister and deputy chief minister said the earlier MVA government was in a minority and had been asked to prove its majority by the governor, so it could not have taken the renaming decisions. When minutes of the MVA cabinet meeting came for confirmation before the new cabinet, the executive was directed to bring forth a fresh proposal.
Shinde said the proposal to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar, Osmanabad as Dharashiv, and the Navi Mumbai international airport after D B Patil has been okayed by a cabinet that has the backing of 162-164 MLAs. “The proposal was approved once again so that there are no legal hurdles as the earlier government was in a minority when the decision was taken,” Shinde said.
Fadnavis said the proposal will now be brought as a resolution before the state legislature and once it is passed, it will be sent to the Centre for approval.
Shinde, who was urban development minister in the MVA government, had as head of Cidco (City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra) moved a proposal before the Cidco board to name the new airport after the late Balasaheb Thackeray. Then CM Uddhav Thackeray said he had not approved it. “Taking into consideration D B Patil’s contribution to the cause of sons of soil and numerous representations and keeping in mind people’s sentiments, we decided to name the airport after him,” he said.
