Controversy erupts over naming of Pune garden after CM Eknath Shinde

A row has erupted over naming a garden after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Pune, leading to the cancellation of its scheduled inauguration on Tuesday, and the public amenity will now be christened after Shiv Sena stalwart late Anand Dighe.The garden, which was slated to be inaugurated by Shinde during his visit here, has been developed by former Shiv Sena corporator Pramod Bhangire in Hadapsar's Mohammadwadi area on an amenity space belonging to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Shinde received severe backlash from activists as a result of the development, forcing him to instruct his supporter Nana Bhangire to cancel the programme in Pune’s Mohammedwadi. Bhangire, a former Shiv Sena corporator, developed the garden on public space and named it after Shinde following demand from the public. He had recently joined the Shinde camp, which led to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government, and was the made Pune unit chief.The group that opposed the event had earlier raised voice in a similar case involving a former Bharatiya Janata Party corporator at Salisbury Park garden.“We have cancelled the inauguration. We will put up a proposal with the name of the garden to PMC’s [Pune Municipal Corporation] garden committee for further decision,” Bhangire said.Civic activist Vinita Deshmukh alleged that due process was not followed while naming the garden after the CM. “This was Shinde’s first visit to Pune as CM. While Pune is grappling with multiple issues, the CM’s priority is inaugurating a garden named after him. He seems to have no idea about previous protests on similar issue at Salisbury Park,” Deshmukh said.