Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) has opposed changing the name of King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, marking a change from its previous stand when it was against the Anglicised names of places and memorials.
From Bombay to Mumbai; Victoria Terminus to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Elphinston Road to Prabhadevi, the undivided Shiv Sena was at the forefront of asserting the Marathi culture.
However, earlier this week when Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha wrote to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the name change of KEM Hospital to ‘Kaushalya Eklavya Memorial Hospital’, Shiv Sena UBT leaders opposed this and have also submitted a written memorandum to BMC commissioner to not change the name.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Sunil Shinde told ThePrint that before any proposal of a name change, the intention behind it needs to be checked.
“The government’s intention is wrong. They are using fake Hindutva. In their professional business, they have all Anglicised names. In the case of KEM, the local sentiment needs to be considered.” Shinde said.
“There is a history behind the KEM Hospital’s name and contribution of Edward towards health that can’t be denied. There is a difference between what we did and what the ruling government is doing. We only changed those names given to places that have no meaning and purpose of the English regime.”
It’s not that the Shiv Sena always takes up logical stands, political analyst Hemant Desai said.
“They are more likely to take up the emotional stand and that entire belt of Parel, Lalbaug is a stronghold of the Shiv Sena (UBT). And since this proposal was done by Lodha, a Gujarati speaking leader, they think this is a Gujarati vs Marathi issue and hence they could have picked up this issue,” he told ThePrint.
“The Sena’s opposition is not that very intellectual. It is not that they give much thought to what their stand is. The local corporators must have taken up this issue.”
Currently run by the BMC, the KEM Hospital is one of the oldest government-run-hospitals in Mumbai. With about 390 staff physicians and 550 resident doctors, the 1,800-bed hospital treats about 1.8 million out-patients and 85,000 in-patients annually. Even resident doctors and other medical staff have opposed the name change and instead want the administration to focus on reforms that can make the facilities better.
“The KEM hospital has a legacy of 100 years and at that time, King Edward’s trust had donated Rs 7 lakh in 1926 and had essayed a significant role in building the hospital. So why do they need to change this legacy?” local MLA Ajay Chaudhari told ThePrint.
KEM has saved lakhs of lives over the years and the people from across the country come here for treatment, he said.
“Besides, KEM is our icon and identity. We are not against the name of Kaushalya Shreshta Eklavya, but who is Lodha to decide this name change in Mumbai? What is his contribution in getting Mumbai to Maharashtra? We—the mill workers and middle class—gave our blood for Mumbai; so, do we not have the right to decide what needs to be done? Why are the stakeholders not considered before this proposal?”
Double standard?
The trend of name changing began with the name of the city itself. Bombay, which was earlier a collective of seven islands called Bom Bahai during Portuguese times, was later called Bombay when the British connected all seven islands.
However, the local people called it Mumbai, derived from Mumba Devi, the local deity.
Post-Independence, when the Shiv Sena under Bal Thackeray emerged as a growing force in Mumbai, in the 1970s and 1980s, it amped up the pitch to rename the city to Mumbai. It was eventually done in the first cabinet meeting when the Shiv Sena-BJP government came to power in 1995 and the same year, the Centre gave its nod.
“When the Mumbai name was kept, the intention was to honour the local culture and 106 Hutatma who laid their lives to get Mumbai for Maharashtra. Marathi pride was the big motive behind it,” said Shinde.
He was referring to the 106 protesters killed in police firing during the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement between 1955 and 1960.
Next to follow was the name of the iconic Victoria Terminus (VT) station, which became Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus in 1996 with ‘Maharaj’ getting added in 2017 under the insistence of BJP leaders. It is now called Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.
In 2017, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant had presented a list of names of various suburban railway stations in Mumbai to be renamed. He suggested Elphinstone Road be renamed as Prabhadevi after the local deity.
Based on the areas in which the stations are located, he had said Churni Road station be renamed as Girgaon, Curry Road station as Lalbaug, Sandhurst Road as Dongri. Elphinstone Road station, which was named after Lord Elphinstone who was the Governor of Bombay in the 1850s, was changed to Prabhadevi in 2018.
The rest of the name changes are in process, awaiting central nod.
ThePrint reached Arvind Sawant of the Shive Sena (UBT) for a comment via calls and texts.
Leader of Opposition in BMC Kishori Pednekar told ThePrint that when the Sena opposed the English names, the intent was different and Lodha’s intent was political.
“Why is Lodha not changing the names of the buildings he has built like Lodha Trump, Lodha World one, etc. He says he wants to remove the English imprint, why doesn’t he start from his own construction business. This is hypocrisy,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said. “We are not the only ones who are opposing but even the locals and doctors are opposing. During the CST (protest), nobody opposed us.”
Shiv Sena UBT leaders said Lodha should instead construct something like KEM and then name it whatever he wants and not unnecessarily take unilateral decisions.
Chaudhari questioned why the ruling party and especially Mangal Prabhat Lodha haven’t changed the name of localities like Malabar Hill, and Kemps Corner. “Tomorrow he might say change the name of St George hospital, or JJ Hospital, then what? It doesn’t work like this. We are not opposing this for the sake of it,” he added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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