'Bengaluru Beachfront', 'Bengaluru Hill Station': BJP MP P C Mohan takes a dig at Parameshwara's call to rename Tumakuru

A day after seeking that it be called 'Bengaluru North', Home Minister says name of Tumakuru will not be changed.

Reacting to Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara's call to rename Tumakuru district as Bengaluru North, BJP MP P C Mohan took a sly dig at the suggested move on Tuesday.

Taking to X, Mohan said the entire State will be renamed Greater Bengaluru Area, while districts would be named as "Bengaluru Beachfront", "Bengaluru Far East" and "Bengaluru Hill Station".

This comes on a day when Parameshwara reignited the call for renaming the Tumakuru district as Bengaluru North.

“Our district is located very close to Bengaluru. Since it is located only 60 km away, I urge that it should be made a part of Bengaluru,” he said at the convention held in Tumakuru to mark the Congress government's third anniversary.

Parameshwara said that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had ensured that Ramanagara district was renamed Bengaluru South, and requested that similarly Tumakuru be renamed Bengaluru North.

“We have already prepared a plan to have metro rail connectivity to Tumakuru. The Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) has announced that in the Budget. The project is ready. The CM and the Deputy CM should see to it that the project is realised,” he said at the event.

Clarification

However, on Wednesday, Parameshwara issued a clarification saying that the name of Tumakuru would not be changed.

"I have not issued any statement of any kind suggesting that the name should be changed. The extent of the district will also not change," he said.

"The intention of considering Tumakuru under the Bengaluru Development Zone concept is to accelerate the all-round and holistic development of the district even further. With the linkage to Bengaluru-model infrastructure, industrial, and investment opportunities, there is a belief that more investments will flow into Tumakuru, leading to growth in employment and economic activities," he added.

Parameshwara, who is also the the in-charge Minister of Tumakuru, had raised a similar demand last year when he said that a proposal was placed before the government to rename the district and that the move would help attract investment to the region.

At that time, BJP leaders, including Union Minister of State V Somanna, MLA B Suresh Gowda and writer Baragur Ramachandrappa, had criticised the suggestion.