The controversy over renaming Aurangabad to ‘Sambhajinagar’ was a ploy to sow seeds of division between the city’s Hindu and Muslim communities, said Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Sunday, hitting out at both the Shiv Sena, which heads the Maha Vikas Aghadi, as well as the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Mr. Ambedkar said it was Pune which had a fair claim of being renamed after Chhatrapati Sambhaji (son of Chhatrapati Shivaji) as Sambhajinagar, given that the samadhi of the Maratha king, who was tortured and murdered by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1689, was in Vadhu Budruk village in Pune.
“What is the need for such religion-based politics? There are about 80% Hindus in this country, so why play politics based on religion?” said the VBA chief, who is the grandson of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Echoing Babasaheb’s thoughts, Mr. Prakash Ambedkar said disintegration of the country’s social fabric was certain once religion-based politics began to…