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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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
