Gehlot demands renaming of Mhow rly station after Ambedkar

Reaching out to Dalits, Union minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot has demanded renaming of Mhow railway station after B R Ambedkar.
Gehlot, in a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, has demanded that the name of Mhow railway station be changed to Dr Ambedkar Nagar Railway station.
The move comes at a time when both Congress and BJP are making serious efforts to woo Dalits ahead of elections in key states later this year and the next.
Congress has repeatedly accused BJP of trying to appropriate national icons connected with it.

Mhow in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh is the birth place of Ambedkar, who was the champion of the civil rights of Dalits and is often described as the architect of Indian Constitution.
Mhow was renamed Dr Ambedkar Nagar in 2003 by the Government of Madhya Pradesh.

"As you are aware, city Mhow in Indore, Madhya Pradesh was renamed as Dr Ambedkar Nagar in the year 2003, and notification to this effect was also issued.
"It is pertinent to mention here that as per guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, any proposal for renaming of railway stations should come from the concerned state administration. In this context, the state government has presented the desired proposal upon my request," said Gehlot in his letter.

"As is known to you, this year is being celebrated as the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkarji all over the country. In view of this, I once again request to kindly take necessary measures for renaming the Mhow railway station as Dr Ambedkar Nagar Railway Station," the letter said.
Gehlot also referred to an earlier letter he had written to Singh and Prabhu on the same issue on December 9, saying "action in this regard is still awaited".