In Mumbai, the opposition Congress party has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of turning religious pride into a business scheme. According to Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant, the BJP’s “Hindutva” has become “corporate” – using icons, deities and historic names to make money and boost political power.
Sawant told reporters that the BJP has renamed several popular train stations with corporate sponsors. For example, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is now called Kotak Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Siddhivinayak station has been renamed ICICI Lombard Siddhivinayak, and the Mahalaxmi station is now HDFC Life Mahalaxmi. Even a station called Acharya Atre has been branded Nippon India MF Acharya Atre. “This is a shameful game played with our identity and emotions,” Sawant said.
He called on BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, to explain the renaming policy. “How can you allow a prefix like ‘Kotak’ before the name of our revered king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj?” he insisted. The Congress said it would never tolerate any desecration of national icons.
Sawant also accused the BJP of distracting people from pressing issues such as farmers’ distress, unemployment, inflation and women’s safety by focusing on renaming. According to him, the BJP’s version of Hindutva is built on hate and division, using religious intolerance as a political tool.
Examples he cited include the renaming of Allahabad to Prayagraj, Faizabad to Ayodhya, Rajpath to Kartavya Path, and Racecourse Road to Lok Kalyan Marg. He added that the BJP has removed historic names like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru from the Nehru Science Centre and Sanjay Gandhi from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park Station, turning national heritage into a marketplace.
Sawant joked that the only stations still untouched were Kalbadevi and Sheetaladevi, hinting that the government might soon auction those names too. He warned that after selling public assets to corporates, the BJP is now commercialising gods and great leaders.
“By selling the names of temples and deities, the BJP exposes the hypocrisy of its so‑called ‘Sanatan’ Hindutva,” he said. “It uses identity for power and then hands it over to corporates. This is not true Hindutva – it’s Corporate Hindutva – and Maharashtra will resist it with all its strength.”
Source: ianslive
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