Congress MLA Prasad Abbayya’s proposal to rename the Mysuru Airport after Tipu Sultan drew strong criticism from BJP MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly during the ongoing Assembly session. Abbayya made the suggestion while discussing the state government’s request to the Centre regarding airport names.
“I propose the renaming of Mysuru Airport to Tipu Sultan Airport,” stated Abbayya, as ANI reported. However, this proposal didn’t sit well with the Opposition. BJP MLAs stood up in protest, objecting to the decision and sparking heated arguments between both sides.
Despite the initial disagreement, the Karnataka Assembly eventually reached a consensus. They unanimously passed a resolution recommending that the central government rename four airports after prominent figures. Under this resolution, Hubballi Airport will honour Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna, Belagavi Airport will be dedicated to Kittur Rani Chennamma, Shivamogga Airport to Rashtrakavi Dr KV Puttappa (Kuvempu), and Vijayapura Airport to Sri Jagadjyoti Basaveshwara.
Reacting to the matter, Congress MLA BK Hariprasad stated, “There is nothing wrong with renaming the airport and it is for the government to decide on it,” as PTI reported.
VIDEO | “There is nothing wrong with renaming the airport and it is for the government to decide on it,” says Congress MLC BK Hariprasad on demand for renaming Mysore airport as Tipu Sultan airport. pic.twitter.com/ZxKx5nhgVZ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 15, 2023
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Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil confirmed that these proposed names for the airports would be forwarded for approval by the union government.
In a previous event, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hailed Kittur Rani Channamma and Tipu Sultan as inspirations for standing up for self-respect. He praised Channamma’s courageous act of challenging the powerful British army with her smaller forces.
During his initial term as Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah initiated events like Kittur Utsava and Jayantsova to familiarise today’s youth with her bravery and values.
Tipu Sultan’s historical significance has been a divisive subject in Karnataka. During Siddaramaiah’s tenure as Chief Minister in 2016, the decision to celebrate Tipu Sultan’s birthday as “Tipu Jayanti” on November 10 was made. However, this celebration was discontinued after the BJP assumed power in 2019.