D B Patil Airport Naming Row Rekindled: MP Mama Mhatre Calls For Fresh Mass Movement

Navi Mumbai: The long-standing demand to name the Navi Mumbai International Airport after late farmer leader D.B. Patil is set to gain momentum once again, with Bhiwandi MP Mama Mhatre calling upon supporters to launch a fresh public awareness campaign and prepare for a renewed agitation.

Addressing a gathering at Jasai village on Wednesday on the occasion of D.B. Patil's death anniversary, Mhatre said that both the Centre and the state government are currently led by the same political alliance, making it an opportune time to intensify efforts to secure the airport's naming after the veteran leader.

"We now need to go from village to village, create awareness among the people and once again sound the bugle for a mass movement," Mhatre told supporters.

The MP arrived in Jasai with a convoy of around 60 to 70 vehicles and thousands of supporters. He first paid tribute to the martyrs of the Jasai farmers' agitation and to the statue of D.B. Patil before participating in a memorial programme held at the D.B. Patil Hall.

Urging supporters to prepare for a larger movement, Mhatre appealed to residents to organise meetings in villages and temples to mobilise public opinion on the issue.

Although the Navi Mumbai International Airport has been operational for six months and is preparing to handle international flights, supporters of D.B. Patil continue to express disappointment that the airport has not yet been named after the late leader.

"The real tragedy is that despite the airport becoming operational, D.B. Patil's name has still not been given to it," several speakers at the event said.

Veteran activist Ragini Bharti Powar, who participated in the historic 1984 farmers' movement, strongly criticised the government over the issue.

"The government has betrayed the farmers who sacrificed for development projects," Powar said while addressing the gathering.

Several other leaders, including Mahendra Gharat, Bhushan Patil, Nilesh Patil, municipal council president Bhavana Bhanekar and Sudhakar Patil, also condemned what they described as the government's double standards and signalled support for future protests.

Meanwhile, the issue has also sparked an individual protest. Project-affected youth and social media influencer Rashmika Popeta began an indefinite hunger strike beneath the Chinchpada bridge near the airport entrance on June 24, demanding that the Navi Mumbai International Airport be named after D.B. Patil.

Project-affected residents have repeatedly pressed the government to honour the late leader by naming the airport after him, but claim that their demands have so far failed to receive a positive response from the authorities.

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