Mumbai chowk named after ex-Israeli PM Shimon Pares sparks row

A chowk near south Mumbai has been named as "Shimon Peres Chowk" after the late Israel President and two-time Prime Minister Shimon Peres (1923-2016), who was also the joint winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize along with Yasir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin.

However, the chowk renamed around 4 months ago has now sparked off a political row among various parties in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Usually, any such proposal must be initiated by the local Municipal Corporator, but it was apparently not done in this case owing to the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

"I have not initiated this square renaming proposal.. It was moved and implemented directly by the former Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi," BMC Ward No. 225 Shiv Sena Municipal Corporator Sujata Sanap told IANS.

The BMC Leader of Opposition and Congress Municipal Corporator Ravi Raja said that the entire renaming has been done "without following the BMC norms and it must be probed".

"The rules are very clear on this...Any personality who has contributed or impacted Mumbai can be considered for renaming any road, chowk or other locations. This concerns a foreign personality...It never came before the elected members of the BMC. So who authorised it?" asks Raja.

When asked the (Shiv Sena) Mayor Kishori Pednekar guardedly replied that she would find out if the square renaming was done as per the rules but declined to commit if it could be reversed.

SP Legislator and BMC Corporator Rais Kasam Shaikh has written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanding that the chowk name should be rescinded failing which his party would launch an agitation in the state.