http://ibnlive.in.com/news/congncp-woo-dalits-want-dadar-station-renamed/155520-37-64.html
Cong-NCP want Dadar station renamed
Yogita Limaye Yogita Limaye , CNN-IBN
Updated May 31, 2011 at 09:41am IST
New Delhi: In an effort to woo the Dalit voters in Mumbai, the ruling
Congress and NCP want the Dadar railway station to be renamed as
Chaitya Bhoomi to honour Baba Ambedkar. MNS chief Raj Thackeray has
opposed the move.
The ruling Congress-NCP combine is planning to rename the city's
arterial railway station at Dadar, which is located in a traditional
Sena and now MNS baston, after Dr BR Ambedkar.
Dadar station, in the heart of Mumbai, which sees lakhs of commuters
daily, is now at the centre of a political tug of war.
The Congress and NCP in Maharashtra want the station to be renamed
Chaitya Bhoomi in honour of the final resting place of Dr Babasaheb
Ambedkar not far away from the station where thousands gather every
year to pay homage to the Dalit icon.
"We support this demand. We had sent a letter to the central
government a year ago," said Manikrao Thakre, President, Maharashtra
Congress.
The demand is being seen as a move to woo the Dalit votebank after the
pro-Dalit Republican Party of India joined hands with opposition BJP
and Shiv Sena on several issues in the run up to civic polls in 2012.
But the Sena's arch rival, the MNS, is steering clear of this issue.
"Instead of renaming a station, if one must honour Ambedkar, his
picture should be put on 500 rupees notes," said MNS chief Raj
Thackeray.
The MNS had conquered this traditional bastion of the Shiv Sena in the
2009 assembly elections. While the parties fight it out, for the
average Mumbaikar the name doesn't matter as long as his train is on
time.
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