Ahead of crucial elections both in Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh, the BJP-led government in Maharashtra has managed to please the Ram bhakts. Although BJP has not been able to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Devendra Fadnavis government has managed to have one in Mumbai – by naming the newly-built railway station at Oshiwara ‘Ram Mandir’.
The suburban station between Jogeshwari and Goregaon was to be named ‘Oshiwara’, following the tradition of naming a suburban railway network station after the area in which it is it located. But after months of ‘petitions’ filed by local BJP and Shiv Sena leaders, CM Devendra Fadnavis gave the go-ahead to name it ‘Ram Mandir’.
‘Why Not Ram?’
The campaign to name the station 'Ram Mandir' was led by local BJP MLA Vidya Thakur and local Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar. The Goregaon constituency, which Thakur represents, was earlier held by senior Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai for a long time. Riding the Modi wave, Thakur defeated Desai in the 2014 Assembly elections and was awarded an MoS post by Fadnavis.
Thakur is a north Indian and there is a sizeable population of migrants from Uttar Pradesh in the Goregaon-Oshiwara belt. BJP wants to woo them, along with ‘the Hindutva-minded’ Marathi and Gujarati speakers, in the upcoming BMC elections. BJP is preparing to fight it alone as its alliance with Shiv Sena is precarious.
It’s not a religious matter. A famous temple of Lord Ram is located there. The area is known as Ram Mandir. And why can’t we name the station after Lord Ram?Vidya Thakur, MoS, Women and Child Development, Maharashtra
‘BJP Playing Politics’
There is indeed a famous Ram Temple in the area, but the name of the area is Oshiwara, which incidentally has a substantial Muslim population. They have opposed the move and the Opposition parties are backing them.
Ahead of the BMC elections, both the ruling parties have started indulging in politics in the name of Ram and religion.Nawab Malik, Chief Spokesperson, NCP
The Ram Mandir issue brings back horrific memories for Muslim residents of the city. In 1992, following the demolition of the Babri mosque during the Ram Mandir agitation, riots broke out in the city. Of the 900 killed, around 600 were Muslims. The actual number is far greater, Muslim organisations allege.
Name Controversy Delays Inauguration
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu was scheduled to inaugurate the station on 27 November, but the inauguration has been postponed following the name controversy.
Naming or renaming a station is a long process. The state government, which has the prerogative to name a station, has to first get a report from the district collector. Then, the Surveyor General of India decides the spelling of the new name. Next, Western Railway will give it a station code.
Local authorities will then have to add it to the ticketing units and train schedules. As the name of Ram Mandir station was announced at the eleventh hour, the process has delayed the inauguration.
Over the years, Oshiwara has grown as a residential as well as a commercial area. It serves as a hub for offices, malls, theatres and restaurants, besides being home to hundreds of upmarket housing societies.
It takes around fifteen to 20 minutes to reach Oshiwara from either Goregaon or Jogeshwari railway station. Despite having a station ready, thousands of commuters from Oshiwara are forced to continue to haggle with auto-drivers on a daily basis.
Mumbai already has three stations named after religious places – Churchgate on the suburban rail network’s Western Line, Masjid on the Central Line and Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar on the Harbour Line.
Nearly two decades ago, the name of Victoria Terminus in South Mumbai was changed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Now, it is being changed again to ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus’. In the past, demands have been made to change the names of Dadar to Chaityabhoomi station, and Elphinstone Road station to Prabhadevi.
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