Mumbai: The iconic Churchgate station will be named after former Union minister C.D. Deshmukh. The decision was taken at Shiv Sena’s national executive meeting Tuesday where chief minister Eknath Shinde was also appointed the party’s mukhya neta.
The move is being perceived as Shinde’s attempt to appropriate the legacy of Deshmukh, who was described by Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray as “the only Maharashtra leader in Delhi with self-respect” for stepping down in protest against a Union government proposal to move a bill in Parliament bifurcating Bombay State into Gujarat and Maharashtra, and making the city of Bombay a Union Territory.
Experts also say that by renaming Churchgate station after Deshmukh, Shinde wants to send out a loud political message that he cares for the cause of Mumbai and Maharashtra, and is not a pawn in the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government.
“This is a very interesting strategy. The main objective behind this move is to show how we are the sons of the soil and how we are taking the cause of Maharashtra ahead,” political commentator Sanjay Jog told ThePrint. “This is one upmanship. Shinde wants to convey that we don’t only talk, we act as well. We are giving recognition to Chintamanrao Deshmukh.”
Political analyst Hemant Desai, too, highlighted the position that Deshmukh occupies in Maharashtra politics.
“For Maharashtra, Deshmukh was the leader who stood up for the cause of Samyukt Maharashtra and gave his resignation and so he is revered in the state. “Deshmukh’s resignation became a symbol in Maharashtra as he resigned from such a high post for the pride of the state. He was honest and big in stature. His name is taken with respect in the state,” Desai said.
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Deshmukh — a proud son of Maharashtra
Chintamanrao Dwarkanath Deshmukh was the first Indian governor of the Reserve Bank of India and the Union Finance minister between 1950 and 56. This was also the time he became a founding member of the governing body of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in New Delhi.
He was the founding president of the India International Centre (IIC) where an auditorium is named after him. His contribution is such that both the RBI and the NCAER host an annual lecture series in his name.
During 1955, the clamour for a samyukt Maharashtra started gaining traction. The central government was considering making Mumbai a Union Territory as both Maharashtra and Gujarat were staking claim on it, Desai said. That was when Deshmukh resigned from finance minister’s post
In November, police opened fire on protesters, leaving 15 dead and 200 injured. In all, 117 people were killed across the state.
Years later, in an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, Bal Thackeray lauded Deshmukh for his self-respect. Deshmukh, who quit to register his protest against the idea of not letting Mumbai be a part of a separate Marathi-speaking state of Maharashtra, was the only Marathi (leader) in Delhi to show self-respect and all others turned out to be cowards, the Sena patriarch asserted.
Early Life
Born on 14 January 1896 in a village in Maharashtra’s erstwhile Kolaba district in Konkan, Deshmukh excelled in Sanskrit and English early on. He went to London to prepare for the Indian Civil Services exams. He sat for the exam in 1918 and emerged the topper.
In his autobiography, The Course of My Life, Deshmukh said that after returning to India in 1920 to start his administrative career, he briefly thought of becoming a part of freedom movement but was dissuaded by Bal Gangadhar Tilak who advised him that India will need able administrators once it attained independence.
Deshmukh started his career as a civil administrator and in 1943, he became the first Indian to become the RBI governor. He was conferred knighthood in 1944.
Post-Independence, he was appointed a member of the Planning Commission in 1950. He went on to become the finance minister the same year and was closely involved with drafting of the First and Second Five Year plans.
The setting up of State Bank of India, the Life Insurance Corporation of India and nationalisation of insurance companies happened during his tenure as the minister.
He also served as the chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) between 1956 and 1961, and later as founding chairman of the National Book Trust. Deshmukh died in 1982.
Deshmukh as a symbol
Desai said the latest decision could be Shinde’s message that he is also not bowing down before Delhi, a charge often hurled at him by the Uddhav Thackeray camp.
“Eknath Shinde wants to send out a message that he is not a BJP man, an image that has been taking shape. Instead, (he wants to show that) he is trying to work for Maharashtra.. (that) we care for Maharashtra’s pride, identity and won’t bow down before Delhi, just like Deshmukh,” he added.
Jog said this also sends out a message that just like Deshmukh, the Shinde faction also stepped out (of the Shiv Sena) because of self-respect. “To drive home the point that they do not compromise, they have taken Deshmukh’s support,” he said.
After the Shinde-led rebellion last year, Uddhav and his leaders accused the rebels of bowing down before Delhi. The attack intensified further when projects all set to be launched in Maharashtra went to Gujarat.
The Thackerays have also been attacking the BJP, saying that they are conspiring to take Mumbai away from Maharashtra.
“With an eye on the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Thackerays have been saying that the BJP is conspiring against Mumbai and that Shinde is helping the party. This move sends out a message that just like Deshmukh, who stood up for Marathi pride, we are not going to let Mumbai go away,” Jog explained.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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