BHOPAL: The railway station renaming spree of Uttar Pradesh has now reached another BJP ruled state, the neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has written to the union home secretary, recommending to rename MP capital's Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamlapati -- the last Gond (Hindu) queen of Bhopal.
Importantly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on November 15, unveil the totally revamped world class Habibganj railway station (first railway station to have been modernised on PPP model at Rs 100 crore cost).
The state government sent to the union home secretary a proposal on Friday for renaming the Habiganj railway station after the Gond Queen. "Bhopal was ruled by Gond rulers in the 16th century and to keep intact the memory of Gond Queen Rani Kamalapati, it's recommended to rename Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamlapati," the recommendation sent by state transport department to the union home ministry read on Friday.
Importantly, the union cabinet had on Tuesday decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of the country's freedom struggle tribal icon Birsa Munda nationally as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.
The PM, besides unveiling the new look world class Habibganj railway station, will also grace the main event of the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas at Bhopal's Jamboree Maidan on Monday (November 15).
The ruling BJP, on expected lines, welcomed the state government's Friday evening move to recommend the renaming of Habibganj railway station after the Gond tribe queen.
"The state government's recommendation to the centre to rename Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamlapati on the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas is a welcome move. She was not just a Gond Queen, but was respected by all sections of the society. If the opposition Congress opposes it, then people should oppose the Congress," state BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal tweeted.
The state government's recommendation to the Centre for renaming the Habibganj railway station after the tribal queen happened on Friday amid host of BJP leaders, including Bhopal MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Ayodhya movement VHP leader and ex-MP minister Jaibhan Singh Pavaiya, demanding that the station be renamed after ex-PM Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The Opposition Congress slammed the BJP government over the demands, saying this BJP government believes in just renaming and not working.
The Habibganj railway station is presently named after former Nawab of Bhopal, Habib Miyan, who had reportedly donated a vast tract of land for the station's expansion in late 1970s. The station was originally developed by the Britishers as Shahpur, but renamed as Habibganj in independent India.
The state government's move to rename the world class Habibganj railway station after the tribal queen is being considered yet another calculated move by the BJP government with an eye on the tribal vote, particularly when the November 15 Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas main event in Bhopal is being seen as just the beginning by BJP to win back the crucial tribal vote from the Congress.
The BJP, which had won 59 out of 84 tribal dominated seats of MP in 2013 assembly polls, managed to win just 34 out of those seats in the 2018 polls. Tribals constitute over 22% of MP's population.
Railway station renaming spree has already been on in BJP ruled UP, including renaming of Mughalsarai Junction of Chandauli district as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Manduadih station of Varanasi district as Banaras Junction. The Yogi Adityanath government has recently recommended renaming of Faizabad railway station as Ayodhya Cant railway station.