Mumbai: Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, discussions have emerged regarding the renaming of Khuldabad, the town where the tomb is located.
Social Justice Minister and Guardian Minister of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sanjay Shirsat, announced, “Khuldabad will be renamed to Ratanpur.” This proposal has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition, targeting the Mahayuti government.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Shirsat said, “Khuldabad was originally named Ratanpur and later renamed. Aurangzeb was responsible for changing the names of several cities. He changed names of places like Dharashiv and Nagar as well. In our state, any place that has ‘-bad’ in its name, such as Daulatabad, will have its name changed. The Mahayuti government has taken up the process of renaming such places. According to that, Khuldabad should be named Ratanpur, since that was its original name.” Shirsat is scheduled to meet the Chief Minister to today formally make this demand.
Former MP and AIMIM state president Imtiaz Jaleel strongly criticised the Mahayuti government, alleging that they are deliberately digging up such controversial issues because they want to incite riots in the state.
Responding to the criticism, Shirsat stated that they do not wish to incite riots, but they are committed to taking forward the legacy of Maratha history.
Earlier, Minister Nitesh Rane had made a controversial statement about Aurangzeb’s tomb, which reportedly escalated tensions and led to riots in Nagpur, disrupting the state’s political atmosphere. Following this, the Chief Minister had instructed Rane to remain silent on the issue.
