Rename Mumbai Central Rly station after Ambedkar: Athawale
Mumbai, Oct 12: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale Friday demanded that Mumbai Central railway station be renamed after Dalit icon Babasaheb Ambedkar.
In a statement issued Friday, the Union minister of state for Social Justice and Empowerment said that he would soon meet Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to submit this demand.
"Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had spent a lot of time in Mumbai and led several social movements conceptualised by him.
It will be appropriate to name Mumbai Central station after him," Athawale said.
"Dalits welcomed the renaming of Mumbai International Airport and Victoria Terminus after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. We would also be happy if Babasaheb's name is given to Mumbai Central railway station," Athawale said.
Earlier in July this year, Elphinstone Road station on Western Railway's suburban network was rechristened Prabhadevi.
The decision to change the name of Elphinstone Road station was approved by the Maharashtra Assembly on December 16, 2016.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
