The Maharashtra Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday approved a proposal to name Pune Airport after Sant Tukaram Maharaj. The proposal was given by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, who is also the Pune MP.
Mohol said there was a request from the warkari community to name the airport located in Pune's Lohegaon after Sant Tukaram Maharaj, who is a 17th-century saint and poet. He added, "Sant Tukaram was born in Lohegaon. Not only this, he spent his childhood there, so Lohegaon and Sant Tukaram have a very close relationship. Moreover, Sant Tukaram contributed greatly to the propagation of Bhagwat Dharma and gave a new thought to the society, which is relevant even today. Therefore, giving Sant Tukaram's name to the airport in Pune is a very common sentiment. Therefore, I submitted this proposal to the state government."
Meanwhile, this approval received mixed reactions on social media. While some applauded this move, others said the airport should have been named after Bajirao Peshwa or Rajmata Jijau. Some even said that it shouldn't have been named after Sant Tukaram as it is primarily a defence airport.
An X (formerly Twitter) user commented, "Giving names to airports/institutions is fine, they are done because it keeps a certain segment of the society happy. But giving a name to an airport which basically is a strategic defence airport is a mistake. Build a new one and name it."
"Renaming Pune airport to honour Tukaram Maharaj is a meaningful tribute to our cultural heritage!" said another user.
"Bajirao Peshwa International Airport would have been a better name," a third user wrote. "I wish it could have been 'Rajmata Jijau International Airport,'" a fourth user said.
Check out the reactions below:
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