Former CMs fume against naming Yelahanka flyover after Savarkar
Siddaramaiah, HDK term it ‘insult’ to state’s own freedom fighters
BENGALURU:
The name ‘Veer Savarkar’ is like a red rag to the opposition ‘bulls’ in Karnataka. Soon after it became known that the state government has decided to name a new flyover in Bengaluru’s Yelahanka area after Savarkar, former Chief Ministers Siddaramaiah and H D Kumaraswamy went ballistic in their opposition to the plan.
The thrust of their opposition is that naming the flyover after Savarkar is an ‘insult’ to freedom fighters from the state.
The Chief Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the flyover on Thursday, May 28, which is Savarkar’s birth anniversary. BBMP has already approved the late RSS leader’s name for the flyover.
Siddaramaiah tweeted: “The decision to name the flyover after Savarkar shows that the spirit of this government is not to act as an elected government. Are you seeking the cooperation of the opposition parties for such anti-people decisions?
“The decision… is an insult to freedom fighters from the soil. Therefore, the state government should immediately abandon the decision and name the flyover after a freedom fighter from the state.”
ಯಲಹಂಕ ಮೇಲ್ಸೆತುವೆಗೆ ವಿ.ಡಿ.ಸಾವರ್ಕರ್ ಹೆಸರಿಡುವ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ನಿರ್ಧಾರ ಈ ಮಣ್ಣಿನ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ ಹೋರಾಟಗಾರರಿಗೆ ಮಾಡುವ ಅವಮಾನ.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 27, 2020
ತಕ್ಷಣ ಈ ನಿರ್ಧಾರವನ್ನು ಕೈಬಿಟ್ಟು ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯಹೋರಾಟಗಾರರೊಬ್ಬರ ಹೆಸರಿಡಬೇಕೆಂದು @CMofKarnataka ಅವರನ್ನು ಆಗ್ರಹಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.
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ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಡಳಿತ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ತೆರೆ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಸೂತ್ರಧಾರರೇ ಹೊರತು,
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 27, 2020
ಚುನಾಯಿತ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಅಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಯಲಹಂಕ ಮೇಲ್ಸೆತುವೆಗೆ ಸಾವರ್ಕರ್ ಹೆಸರಿಡುವ ಅವಸರದ ನಿರ್ಧಾರವೇ ಪುರಾವೆ.@CMofKarnataka
ಅವರೇ,
ನೀವು ವಿರೋಧ ಪಕ್ಷಗಳ ಸಹಕಾರ ಬಯಸುತ್ತಿರುವುದು
ಇಂತಹ ಜನವಿರೋಧಿ ನಿರ್ಧಾರಗಳಿಗಾಗಿಯೇ?
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H D Kumaraswamy tweeted: “The state government’s decision to nominate Savarkar’s name for the Yelahanka flyover is a disgrace to those who have fought for the prosperity of the state.
“There are many great people who worked for the development and prosperity of the state before and after Independence. Their name could have been nominated for the flyover. Are any other states naming their flyovers after other state freedom fighters? On behalf of the people of the state, I urge the state government to take back this decision.”
ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯಪೂರ್ವ ಮತ್ತು ನಂತರ ನಾಡಿನ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತು ಹಿತಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ದುಡಿದ ಹಲವು ಮಹನೀಯರಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅವರ ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ಈ ಮೇಲ್ಸೇತುವೆಗೆ ಇಡಬಹುದಿತ್ತು. ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಹೋರಾಟಗಾರರ ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ಬೇರೆ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಮಕರಣ ಮಾಡುವುದುಂಟೆ? ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಈ ನಿರ್ಧಾರದಿಂದ ಹಿಂದೆ ಸರಿಯುವಂತೆ ನಾಡಿನ ಜನತೆಯ ಪರವಾಗಿ ಆಗ್ರಹ ಪಡಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ
— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) May 27, 2020
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Countering the opposition’s arguments, a BJP spokesperson told a national news channel that the Congress could not look beyond the Nehru-Indira legacy. He pointed to the fact that 198 subsidised canteens across Bengaluru had been named after Indira Gandhi by the previous government.
Nothing wrong says Vishwanath
Defending the move, Yelahanka MLA S R Vishwanath, who is also the political secretary to Chief Minister said, there was nothing wrong in naming the flyover after a freedom fighter who was jailed and suffered punishment at Kala Pani (erstwhile Andaman jail) punishment for the sake of the country.
He said legally as per rules BBMP council has approved it and all formalities have been completed and only after that the naming has been planned.
Vishwanath termed the attempt to create controversy over naming the flyover after Savarkar as insult to freedom fighters, adding that several projects and bridges in his constituency have been named after eminent personalities of the state and the county and this was one such move.
BBMP drops ‘Savarkar’ name?
Meanwhile, BBMP in its advertisement released to media, has dropped the name of ‘Savarkar’. It says the inauguration of flyover and hence savarkar’s name is not printed. But BBMP’s council resolution decided to name savarkar’s name on February 29, earlier this year and unless another resolution is passed the flyovers name remains as veer savarkar despite governmnet and BBMP not including it in its advertisement.
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