JOIN USComing down hard on the state government against its proposal to rename Ramanagara as Nava Bengaluru, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy said such a move will be an insult to Lord Ram, after whom the district is named.
Kumaraswamy has also threatened to hit the streets if the state government went ahead with the proposal.
In a series of tweets, Kumaraswamy alleged that renaming the district was a pretext to sell its fertile irrigated land to capitalists. Yediyurappa also wants to settle a score with me by renaming it, he alleged.
“If Yediyurappa wishes to develop Ramanagaram, he should release the funds I have allocated in my budget for the district. If you want to develop it further, you will find support from me and my people. But don’t set fire to the district’s culture and identity by changing its name,” he tweeted.
In another tweet, he questioned the logic of renaming the district. “What’s in a name? If we call something Bengaluru, will it develop? If so, can’t we rename all other districts as Bengaluru? Can you do that?” he said, daring Yediyurappa to rename Shivamogga or Dakshina Kannada district as Bengaluru.
Ramanagaram district is surrounded by seven hills, with Ramadevara Betta at its centre, said Kumaraswamy. “That is why it was named Ramanagaram taluk. We have named it after Rama. Yet, if the BJP adamantly renames it, it is an insult to the policies propounded by the BJP. It is an insult to Lord Ram’s name,” he said.
It can be recalled that Ramanagaram district was carved out of the Bengaluru Rural district in 2007 when Kumaraswamy was the chief minister.