Nitesh Rane To Visit Mumbra For Kanwar Yatra Amid Push To Rename Thane Suburb As 'Mumbra Devi'

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Nitesh Rane is set to visit Mumbra on Sunday to participate in the Kanwar Yatra, which is scheduled to begin shortly. His visit comes amid the ongoing controversy over his remarks suggesting that Mumbra should be renamed.

Earlier this week, Rane hinted at renaming the Thane suburb from Mumbra to Mumbra Devi. His remarks came amid discussions over the renaming of several places in Maharashtra. Aurangabad was renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, while Osmanabad was renamed Dharashiv.

While participating in a Tiranga Yatra earlier this week, Rane said, “First, we were all Hindus. We, the people, are doing the work of re-Hinduisation. How did Islampur become Ishwarpur? And Mumbra will soon become Mumba Devi.”

Earlier renaming controversy

Rane has previously faced political opposition over his demand to rename Mumbra and has remained firm on the issue. In April this year, he faced sharp criticism from Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi, who opposed the proposal and urged authorities to prioritise infrastructure, education and civic amenities in Thane instead of focusing on renaming the suburb.

Rane, while attending a meeting organised at Mumbra-Shil Phata in April on the occasion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s death anniversary, had said, “Until we put the saffron flag on every house in Mumbra, we will sit quiet. I want to tell everyone that don't worry, we made Islampur into Ishwarpur, and now Mumbra will also be changed to Mumbra Devi.”

Azmi opposes renaming proposal

Responding to Rane’s remarks, Azmi criticised the focus on renaming the area instead of addressing its development needs. He pointed out that Mumbra is home to a large population, many of whom have moved there because of affordable housing.

Azmi stressed that the area requires better infrastructure, including improvements in schools, colleges and basic civic amenities.