Bhopal's Habibganj railway station renamed after Gond queen Rani Kamalapati: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Bhopal, Nov 13: The Habibganj railway station in Bhopal has been renamed after Gond queen Rani Kamalapati, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Saturday while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision.
The state government also issued a gazette notification stating that the changed name will be spelt at Rani Kamalapati Railway Station. Chouhan hailed Rani Kamalapati as pride of the Gond community and "the last Hindu queen of Bhopal".
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to dedicate to the country the railway station which has been redeveloped and provided with airport-like amenities on November 15.
Modi will be visiting the Madhya Pradesh capital to address a tribal convention to mark 'Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas' in remembrance of the tribal icon and freedom fighter Birsa Munda.
"People of Madhya Pradesh are thankful to the Prime Minister for renaming the Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamalapati, the Gond queen of Bhopal," Chouhan said in a statement.
The prime minister enhanced the glory of tribals by renaming this "most-modern railway station of the country" after the Gond queen, he said.
"Rani Kamalapati is the pride of the Gond community and last Hindu queen of Bhopal. Her kingdom was usurped by Afghan commander Dost Mohammed by deceit through a conspiracy. When she saw that victory was not possible, she committed 'Jal Jauhar' (ritual suicide) to save her honour," Chouhan said.
Her son Naval Shah was killed at Lalghati, a part of today's Bhopal, he noted.
On Friday, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh had written to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking renaming of the redeveloped Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamalapati, stating that it will honour the legacy and bravery of the widow of the Gond ruler Nizam Shah.
Chouhan, in a tweet on Saturday, reiterated that she was "the last Hindu queen of Bhopal." "Habibganj railway station has been named 'Rani Kamalapati' after her. It is a matter of great satisfaction and joy for me. Prime minister Narendra Modi I thank you from my heart," the chief minister added.
The gazette notification said the "Government of India has no objection to changing the name of Habibganj Railway Station as Rani Kamalapati Railway Station. The work of changing old name boards at the railway station, located in the new Bhopal area, also started.
Congress MLA from Bhopal Central Arif Masood said the land on which the railway station stands was donated by Habibullah Khan, therefore it was named after him.
It would have been better if they had paid attention to development than engaging in the politics of name change. A lot of money is spent on name change. Instead, this money should be given to the families of pandemic victims and for providing free ration, he said.
The state's Public Relations Department shared a news clip on Twitter, saying that the station was built in 1905 and then it was known as Shahpur. It was named Habibganj station in 1979 when it was expanded.
The Gond community is the largest tribal group of India with more than 1.2 crore population.
On Thursday, BJP MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur had demanded that the Habibganj station be renamed after former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The station comes under the jurisdiction of the West Central Railway. The Kamlapati Palace overlooking the Upper and Lower Lakes of Bhopal is named after the Gond queen.
हबीबगंज अब होगा रानी कमलापति रेलवे स्टेशन.
— MP MyGov (@MP_MyGov) November 13, 2021
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भोपाल के हबीबगंज रेलवे स्टेशन को अब रानी कमलापति स्टेशन के नाम से जाना जाएगा। भारत सरकार द्वारा पुनर्विकसित इस स्टेशन का लोकार्पण प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी जी द्वारा 15 नवंबर को किया जाएगा।#जनजाति_गौरव_दिवस @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/v1tqsqROLx
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Karnataka power tussle: BJP leader calls Siddaramaiah 'Sultan for 15 days'
Bengaluru/Bagalkot (PTI): In the midst of the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, senior BJP leader and MP Govind Karjol called CM Siddaramaiah "Pandrah din-ka-Sultan" (Sultan for 15 days), and said after that, he will not be the chief minister of the state.
Speculation has once again surfaced within the Congress party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for Assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, are announced.
"With the fight for the CM chair in the Congress, there seems to be no administration at Vidhana Soudha. The result for Siddaramaiah's CM chair fight will also be declared, along with election results for five states (four states and one union territory) and bypoll results for Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly seats in Karnataka," Karjol, a former Deputy CM, said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "As per today's information, Siddaramaiah is a Sardar for fifteen days, he is Pandrah din-ka-Sultan, after that Siddaramaiah will not be the chief minister of the state."
Stating that Shivakumar is ready to take up the top job, the MP said that this is the reason Siddaramaiah's supporters have gone to New Delhi to meet the Congress President.
"Already 40-odd legislators have lobbied in support of Siddaramaiah; about 50 are lobbying in support of Shivakumar. Amid this fight for the CM chair, the administration has completely collapsed," he said, urging the government to focus on addressing drinking water issues in various parts of the state amid summer by releasing at least Rs 50 crore per district.
PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Monday met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary (in charge of Karnataka) Randeep Surjewala in New Delhi and requested them to address the speculation regarding the change of leadership in Karnataka.
Subsequently, Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa too met the party leadership in Delhi.
Both Jarkiholi and Mahadevappa are considered close to Siddaramaiah.
While MLAs and leaders who want Shivakumar to be elevated as CM have recently claimed they expect some "sweet news" by May 15, which is their leader's birthday.
Meanwhile, a team of 40 MLAs is preparing to visit New Delhi to press the Congress high command for a Cabinet reshuffle.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka hit out at the Congress leadership for indulging in "power tussle" instead of addressing the people's concerns. He called the government "anti-people" and "dead" to the people of the state.
With the fight for the CM chair, the ruling Congress in Karnataka seems to be shifting to Delhi. Congress MLAs are repeatedly touring Delhi, upset over the state leadership amid a power struggle between the CM and Deputy CM. This proves that there is no value for the state leadership," he said.
Pointing out that the Deputy CM Shivakumar was not present at the recent special cabinet meeting, which decided on internal reservation among SCs, the opposition leader said, "If the cabinet meeting was held purposely, despite knowing that Shivakumar was in Delhi, it proves that there are factions within the party"
"This government is dead in a way," he said, as he hit out at the Congress MLAs and Ministers, including Shivakumar, for doing "Delhi Yatras" instead of addressing drinking water issues in various parts of the state amid summer, picking up in the state.
