We made the name Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar' foolproof: CM Shinde
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): The decision to rename Aurangabad' as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar' was taken by the Maha Vikas Aghadi when its government was in the minority but the present dispensation has made it "foolproof", said Maharashtra Eknath Shinde on Saturday.
He was speaking here about a notification issued on Friday night on the change of names of Aurangabad and Osmanabad districts to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv respectively. The districts are part of the Marathwada region.
"We have made it (renaming) foolproof. The earlier MVA government took the decision when they were in the minority and their government was about to fall. But we made it foolproof and there are hurdles over the renaming now," said Shinde.
The decision to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad was taken in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government's last cabinet meeting chaired by the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on June 29, 2022, just before he resigned following a rebellion by Shinde.
However, Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who were sworn in a day later, had said the Thackeray-led dispensation's decision to rename these places was illegal as it was taken by it after the governor had asked it to prove majority in the state assembly.
In July last year, the Shinde government gave cabinet approval to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv respectively.
In the MVA government's last cabinet meeting, Aurangabad was renamed as Sambhajinagar, but the Shinde government added Chhatrapati' prefix to it.
Aurangabad derives its name from the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, while Osmanabad was named for a 20th-century ruler of the princely state of Hyderabad.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji, the eldest son of warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was the second ruler of the Maratha state founded by his father. Sambhaji Maharaj was executed on Aurangzeb's orders in 1689.
Dharashiv, the name of a cave complex near Osmanabad, dates back to the 8th century as per some scholars.
The present government of Shinde-led Shiv Sena, BJP and an NCP faction under Ajit Pawar held a special cabinet meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of the Marathwada Liberation Day, celebrated on September 17 annually.
Shinde also announced a package of Rs 45,000 crore for the development of the Marathwada region apart from revised administrative sanctions for irrigation projects worth Rs 14,000 crore.
Leader of the Opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve accused the present government of trying to grab credit for the renaming.
Addressing a press conference, he said, "The renaming of Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar was first mooted by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. The decision was taken by Uddhav Thackeray. If the current rulers of the state want to take credit for this renaming, then why they didn't rename the city between 2014 and 2019 when the Devendra Fadnavis government was in full majority."
Danve also slammed the state government over their announcements for Marathwada. "They are already a part of the state's budget and nothing new has been announced. If we check the announcement list of today, it is the same as those made in 2016," he said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also claimed that the chief minister had to cancel his stay in a private hotel after "we (opposition)" raised it.
Marathwada was once a part of the Nizam-ruled Hyderabad kingdom. It now comprises eight districts Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (earlier Aurangabad), Dharashiv (old name Osmanabad), Jalna, Beed, Latur, Nanded, Hingoli and Parbhani.
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Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia returns to country after treatment in UK
Dhaka (PTI): Bangladesh's ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Tuesday returned to the country from London after four months of medical treatment, according to media reports.
Zia went to London on January 8 for advanced medical care and was admitted to The London Clinic. After being discharged from the clinic, the BNP chairperson moved to her eldest son Tarique Rahman’s residence, where she has been receiving treatment.
A Qatari royal air ambulance carrying Khaleda and her entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:42 am, BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.
Her two daughters-in-law – Tarique Rahman’s wife Zubaida Rahman and the late Arafat Rahman Coco’s wife Syeda Sharmila Rahman – are accompanying her.
The plane had departed from London’s Heathrow Airport at 4:20 pm local time. Tarique had driven his mother to the airport and seen her off, according to Khaleda’s private physician, Prof AZM Zahid Hossain.
The 79-year-old three-time prime minister has long suffered from liver cirrhosis, kidney disease, heart problems, diabetes, and arthritis.
Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, along with several senior party leaders, arrived at the airport around 8:30am to receive Khaleda.
Talking to reporters at the airport, Fakhrul expressed the hope that the return of party chairperson Khaleda Zia would facilitate the restoration and advancement of democracy in the country.
“She went abroad for treatment after years of suffering under fascist oppression. With the fall of fascism, she was finally able to receive proper medical care. After nearly four months of treatment, she is returning home today. It's a matter of great joy for us and the people,” the BNP leader was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.
Preparations have been completed at Khaleda’s Gulshan residence, Feroza, bdnews24 reported.
Security has been tightened around the walled compound, with police and members of the Chairperson’s Security Force (CSF) stationed at the premises.
Supporters have been instructed to stay on the pavements, carrying national and BNP flags, and avoid blocking roads. A large number of police, army, Rapid Action Battalion, Armed Police battalion and Ansar members have been deployed on the roads and near the airport area, the report said.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) also issued a notice on Monday, warning of potential traffic congestion in the Gulshan-Banani area due to excessive crowds gathering to welcome Khaleda.
In March, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court upheld a High Court ruling that acquitted Zia in a corruption case in which she was sentenced to seven years in jail by a lower court.
Zia was convicted in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case in 2018 by a Dhaka court. The court sentenced her to seven years imprisonment and fined her Taka 1 million.
Zia now stands acquitted in both the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust cases, in which she had previously been convicted and sentenced, Maksud Ullah, a lawyer for the BNP chairperson, was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.
The BNP chairperson was lodged in the Old Dhaka Central Jail on February 8, 2018, after the Dhaka court sentenced her in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government temporarily released Zia from jail after 776 days through an executive order, suspending her sentence on March 25, 2020, with conditions that she would stay in her house and not leave the country.
On August 6 last year, after the ouster of the Hasina regime, Zia was freed by an order of President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
Zia served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006.
