BJP, Shiv Sena spar over Ram Mandir' station
Locals say that the reason behind this name is an old Ram temple in the station's vicinity.
Mumbai: The Ram Mandir issue has always been a politically contentious one and now — with the government deciding to name a new station between Jogeshwari and Goregaon as ‘Ram Mandir’ — both the Shiv Sena and BJP have lined up to take credit for the same. What’s more, the two parties have even started discrediting each other over the issue.
The station, which was popularly being referred to as Oshiwara, was given the name ‘Ram Mandir’ last week. Locals say that the reason behind this name is an old Ram temple in the station’s vicinity.
Many people, though, have already started saying that the move points towards a communalisation of the railways. But the BJP and Sena are both claiming it as a victory for themselves.
Vinay Shukla, the Shiv Sena’s northern state coordinator and a close aide of Sena scion Aaditya Thackeray, took to Twitter to give credit to local MP Gajanan Kirtikar for the name ‘Ram Mandir’ being given to the station.
When contacted, Mr Shukla said, “The BJP is good at saying things rather than doing things. Everyone knows that it was Mr Kirtikar who took the petition regarding the station’s name to the railways and even spoke about it in the Parliament. So it is the Shiv Sena that got the work done and we are thus informing the public about it.”
The BJP, though, countered this claim. Niranjan Shetty, spokesperson, BJP Mumbai, said, “Everyone knows who was behind Ram Mandir’s construction and who started the whole movement. But after the demolition of the disputed structure (Babri Masjid), the Sena took credit for the same. Similarly, it is the BJP that ensured the name ‘Ram Mandir’ for the new station.”
Meanwhile, the BJP and Sena are speaking in one voice when it comes to countering those who are opposing the new name and calling it a communal move. “When a station with the word ‘masjid’ in its name exists and isn’t considered communal, then why should Ram Mandir be a bone of contention,” said BJP leader Prasad Lad, with Mr Shukla echoing his views on behalf of the Sena.