BMC to decide on naming Malad ground after Rani Lakshmibai soon

Guardian Minister of Mumbai City Aslam Shaikh at the bhoomi pujan of the ground in Malad in December last year. Pic/Twitter

The proposal to name the Malad playground after Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi instead of Tipu Sultan has been cleared by the Markets and Gardens Committee of the BMC on Tuesday and will be tabled in the general meeting of the civic body in March first week for final approval. The move has again sparked controversy, with some corporators opposing the proposal.

The playground, located in Malwani, Malad, and popular as Tipu Sultan ground, was inaugurated by local MLA and Guardian Minister of Mumbai City Aslam Shaikh on January 26. However, corporators from P North (Malad) Sangita Sutar, Eknath Hundare, Geeta Bhandari, Suhas Wadkar and local Sena leader Sudhakar Surve sent letters to committee concerned, requesting to name the ground after Jhansi chi Rani Lakshmibai as the queen fought fearlessly against the British in the 19th century.

Rais Sheikh, group leader of Samajwadi Party in the BMC, has written to the mayor opposing the move. He said, "The locals have been referring to the ground as Tipu Sultan ground for years. Tipu Sultan played an important role in many wars against the British. We respect Rani Lakshmibai, but it is indecent to drag names of great persons in politics. So I request the mayor to withdraw the proposal."

The issue over naming the ground first surfaced after the inauguration ceremony was declared. A number of BJP workers had turned up in Malwani to oppose the alleged move. Bhalchandra Shirsat, spokesperson of BJP in the BMC, said, "Tipu Sultan had killed Hindus and destroyed temples during his rule. Giving his name to a public place will hurt sentiments."

State minister and Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray had at that time clarified that the BMC had not cleared any proposal to name the park after Tipu Sultan.