The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday decided to set up a government medical college and a 430-bed hospital in Marathwada's Osmanabad district.
Interestingly, while announcing the decision on Twitter, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) referred to Osmanabad as 'Dharashiv' in the creative which has a photo of Congress leader and Minister of Medical Education Amit Deshmukh.
The statement said that Rs 674.14 crore will be made available for setting up the medical college and hospital.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's party, the Shiv Sena, has for long been demanding that Osmanabad be renamed as Dharashiv.
The CMO's reference to Osmanabad as Dharashiv comes days after it mentioned another Marathwada city, Aurangabad, as 'Sambhajinagar' in line with the Sena's demand of renaming.
Earlier also, undeterred by the ruling ally Congress party’s opposition, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, through the CMO Maharashtra handle in two tweets had named Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad) to inform the citizens about state cabinet’s decision to regularize Gunthewari schemes till December 31, 2020.
The Congress, a partner in the state government, is opposed to renaming Aurangabad.
The Shiv Sena had first made the demand to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar after Chhatrapati Sambhaji, son of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, more than 20 years ago.
A proposal was passed in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in June 1995, which was challenged by a Congress corporator in the high court and later in the Supreme Court.
As the issue came back to the forefront of the state politics some days ago, the Congress reiterated its opposition to renaming Aurangabad even as the Sena said the name change would happen soon but the issue would not rock the coalition government.
(With inputs from agencies)
