Tribal leaders object to renaming of zoo after Bal Thackeray

Various tribal organisationsalong with some BJP leaders staged a protest in Nagpur onTuesday,demanding a change in the name of an internationalzoological park here, which has been renamed after Shiv Senafounder late Bal Thackeray.

The Maharashtra government recently renamed theGorewada International Zoo here as 'Balasaheb ThackerayGorewada International Zoological Park'.

Nagpur's former nayor and National Commission forScheduled Tribes' member Maya Iwnate, Gadchiroli BJP MLADeorao Holi, former state tribal development minister AshokUike and other tribal leadersstaged a dharna at the statue ofGond (a tribal community) king Bakht Buland Shah in CivilLines are here.

They demanded that the zoological park be named as'GondwanaGorewada International Zoological Park'.

Iwnate claimed that former chief minister DevendraFadnavis had earlier assured that the zoological park, afterits completion, would be named as the 'Gondwana GorewadaInternational Zoological Park'.

''Had Balasaheb Thackeray been alive, he would havesupported the zoo to be named asGondwana, as a respect to thetribal community. We request Chief Minister Udhhav Thackerayto consider naming it as 'Gondwana Gorewada InternationalZoological Park','' she said.

The protesters warned of intensifying their agitationover the issue in future.

The Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti also staged ademonstration on Katol road here over the issue.

Its member Ram Neole said they do not want the zoo tobe named after a person ''who always opposed statehood forVidarbha''.