Politicos may be wasting too much times on names

Aaditya Thackeray. Pic/Ashish Rane

The renaming rumpus has reared its ugly head again. The big debate is about renaming Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar. Reports state that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is split, with the Shiv Sena saying it wants to rename Aurangabad and the Congress objecting.

Add to this scenario the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mocking former ally Shiv Sena for going back on its promise. Not to be outdone, the Sena, in turn, has asked the BJP what it did while in power. One more twist to the mix - Congress is being accused of not agreeing to the name change to avoid alienating its Muslim vote bank and erode its so-called secular credentials.

The political renaming pot has started simmering. We are at the start of the vaccination drive, but instead of a clear-headed focus on vaccine matters, we have seen political parties now embroiled in fierce charges and counters.

There are some reports that say Sena's Aaditya Thackeray has reiterated that they will emphasise on the development of Aurangabad and that the name change would be debated by the MVA allies.

This is a good line - focusing on what matters rather than names. It remains to be seen whether the young political Turk, sensing the mood, is simply saying the right, placatory things or this is how things will be done in the future. Politics may play out and charges will fly, but what we want is shifting of priorities.

Too much time and energy have been wasted on naming projects. Let us concentrate on their use for the public. Ensure hygiene, safety and great technology along with upgrades and facelifts, instead of focussing on whom to name projects after. For our netas, touting advice and patting themselves on the back for the way they have handled the COVID-19 pandemic, this should be the new normal.