Demands to name ‘Namma Metro’ after Basaveshwara will be discussed with CM: Karnataka Minister

Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil said on Friday that a discussion will be held with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about naming “Namma Metro” after Basaveshwara, the proponent of ‘Anubhava Mantapa’.

“There have been demands to name ‘Namma Metro’ after Basaveshwara. There have been opinions that the entire Namma Metro should be named after Basaveshwara instead of naming any one of the stations just like the Bengaluru International Airport is named after Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda. This will be decided after discussions with the Chief Minister,” he said.

Voices have also been raised to rename Vijayapura district as Basaveshwara district, he added.

“None of us are not against renaming after Basaveshwara. Though I am a stringent follower of Basava, other pros and cons need to be considered before arriving at any decision,” Patil said.

Asked if there was any proposal before the government to rename Karnataka as “Basaveshwara Nadu”, he stated that he was not aware of any such proposal.

“But there have been demands to consider Basaveshwara as the cultural symbol (icon) of the state just like Chhatrapati Shivaji is considered the one in Maharashtra. When the name of any place is changed it needs to be changed at all levels starting from local to international. Also, there will be several hindrances. When Bijapura was charged to Vijayapura, we encountered such issues. When there is a demand to change the name of a place for the second time within a short duration, various aspects need to be pondered upon,” Patil said.

–IANS