Prathap Simha does a 'U' turn in KRS Road renaming row

Mysuru: Former BJP MP Prathap Simha made a ‘U’ turn on the issue of renaming the KRS road in the city as (Chief Minister) ‘Siddaramaiah Arogya Marga’ following criticism from his fellow party leaders and also from those supporting the erstwhile royal family.

Simha told reporters here on Monday, “If the road is officially named Princess Road from the Maharaja’s era, it should not be changed now.”

“I will personally request MLA K Harish Gowda not to change the name. The people of the erstwhile Mysuru state are indebted to the Wadiyar kings for the progress in this part of the country,” he said. 

“The people’s representatives later have also contributed a lot to the development of the state. Since the Mysuru City Corporation has not named the road since its inception, I had assumed that it did not have an official name. A new layout can be developed in Mysuru and named after Siddaramaiah,” he said.

The controversy is over the decision of the Mysuru City Corporation to name the stretch of the KRS Road --- from Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara temple to the Royal Inn junction --- as ‘Siddaramaiah Arogya Marga’.

On December 25, Simha had said, “I oppose Siddaramaiah ideologically. But not on this matter. He is a proud son of Mysuru and the road can be named after him, considering his contributions to the development of Mysuru”.

The next day, MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar claimed that this road was originally named Princess (Krishnajammanni) Road and this name should be retained.