MUMBAI: The BJP’s Mangal Prabhat Lodha, who is the city’s suburban district guardian (associate) minister, likened King Edward VII to Ajmal Kasab, the terrorist caught alive in the 26/11 attack on Mumbai, and said that he condemned those who “supported” the British monarch.KEM Hospital (HT Photo)The minister made this statement on Tuesday after he was attacked during Question Hour in the legislative council for his plan to rename the famed King Edward Memorial (KEM) public hospital to Kaushalya Eklavya Memorial Hospital. The renaming proposal, made a few months ago, had led to widespread opposition from the public and KEM alumni and doctors.The issue was raised by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Milind Narvekar, who said that while urban development department minister Eknath Shinde had claimed there was no decision taken on the renaming, he suspected that plans were being executed stealthily. Narvekar added that King Edward had constructed the massive hospital during a plague outbreak to help citizens.On the backfoot, Lodha replied that King Edward was not a matter of pride for India but a symbol of slavery. “He enslaved India and looted its wealth to take it to England,” he said. “The claim that King Edward contributed financially is completely misleading. Responsible for the deaths of lakhs of Indians, he was like Kasab. We strongly condemn those who support his name.”Sena MLC Sachin Ahir, pointing out that even the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors had opposed the name change, asked Lodha whether he would change the name of his buildings called One World or Trump Tower. The builder-politician replied that the name ‘Trump’ was purely due to a business partnership and had no connection to any form of glorification. Hitting out at opposition leaders raising this point, he said, “My business is known to the entire world; my sources of income are known. We do not know what your business is but you travel in cars bigger than mine.”Lodha said that three alternative names had been proposed for KEM Hospital, and the government would take an appropriate decision. He clarified that whichever of the three options was selected, the abbreviation would remain ‘KEM’.Replying to the question, minister Uday Samant said that Lodha’s proposal was pending before the health committee. “There are many legal issues involved—for instance, all medical degrees so far have been given in the name of King Edward Memorial Hospital,” he said. “The legal ramifications of a name change will have to be studied.”BJP MLC Pravin Darekar, focusing on the present, demanded a hostel for the relatives of KEM patients, who now sleep in nearby compounds or on footpaths.