No decision taken on renaming Ramanagara district: CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru, Jan 5: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Sunday clarified that no decision has been taken regarding renaming the neighbouring Ramanagara district as Nava (New) Bengaluru, amid reports that his government was mulling over it.
The clarification from the Chief Minister came even as JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who represents the district in the assembly, threatening agitation if the government went ahead with the move.
"No such decision has been taken yet," Yediyurappa told reporters here in response to a question on renaming Ramanagara as Nava Bengaluru.
The plan to rename Ramanagara is aimed at using the brand Bengaluru to attract investment into the district located adjacent to the IT city, which has almost reached its saturation.
Ramanagra, about 58 km from here, was carved out of Bengaluru Rural district in 2007 by the then government headed by Kumaraswamy, comprising Ramanagara, Channapatna, Kanakapura and Magadi taluks.
Opposing any move to rename Ramanagara district, Kumaraswamy said it will be an insult to lord Rama, after whom the district was named, and warned of protest if government goes ahead.
"Ramanagara is surrounded by seven hills and at its centre is Ramadevara betta (hill named after lord Rama), and that's the reason the taluk and district were named as Ramanagara.
Despite this, if the name is changed it will be an insult to the philosophy propounded by the BJP itself. It will be an insult to Lord Rama's name," he tweeted.
In a series of tweets, Kumaraswamy alleged that renaming the district was with a pretext to sell fertile irrigated land next to the capital city to capitalists, and also as Yediyurappa wants to settle political scores with him.
He said, if Yediyurappa wants to develop Ramanagara, he should release the funds allocated by his government 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 further tweeted.
The former Chief Minister also questioned why we don't rename all other districts as Bengaluru, if name alone can bring in development.
Ramanagara was earlier known as Closepet, it was renamed as Ramanagara after Ramadevara betta, surrounding which the Bollywood classic Sholay was filmed.
Another senior politician, D K Shivakumar of Congress, who hails from the district, had earlier suggested renaming Ramanagara as Bengaluru South district.
ಬಿಎಸ್ವೈ ಅವರೇ, ರಾಮನಗರದ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಇಚ್ಛೆ ನಿಮಗಿದ್ದರೆ, ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗೆ ನಾನು ನನ್ನ ಬಜೆಟ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮೀಸಲಿಟ್ಟ ಹಣವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕವಾಗಿ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಸಾಕು. ಅದನ್ನೂ ಮೀರಿದ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಮನಸ್ಸಿದ್ದರೆ ನಿಮಗೆ ನನ್ನ, ನನ್ನ ಜನರ ಸಹಕಾರ ಸದಾ ಇರಲಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಹೆಸರು ಬದಲಿಸಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ, ಅಸ್ಮಿತೆಗೆ ಬೆಂಕಿ ಇಡಬೇಡಿ.
— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) January 5, 2020
2/10
ಅಷ್ಟಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಸರಲ್ಲಿ ಏನಿದೆ. ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಎಂದ ಮಾತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಸಾಧ್ಯವೇ? ಹಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಬೇರೆ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಇದೇ ಹೆಸರಿಡಬಹುದಲ್ಲವೇ? ಅದು ನಿಮಗೆ ಸಾಧ್ಯವೇ? ರಾಮನಗರದ ಹೆಸರು ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಲು ಬರುವ ಬಿಎಸ್ವೈ ಅವರು ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗಕ್ಕೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಎಂದು ಹೆಸರಿಡಬಲ್ಲರೇ? ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ?#SaveRamanagara
— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) January 5, 2020
5/10
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Bengal: Over 55 pc turnout till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of 2 assembly seats
Kolkata (PTI): Over 55 per cent turnout was recorded till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of two assembly constituencies in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, an official said.
Voting was underway more or less peacefully at 11 polling stations of Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour, where the EC ordered repoll a day ago, following reports of electoral malpractices.
However, at booth number 179 at Chanda Primary School of Diamond Harbour seat, the Trinamool Congress alleged that a specially abled voter and his mother were harassed by central forces. The alleged incident sparked protests by party workers and locals.
The TMC claimed that the voter's mother, who had entered the booth to assist him, and her son were detained for a considerable time by central forces over alleged rule violations.
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"TMC leaders Manmohini Biswas and Pratik Ur Rahman reached the spot and led the protests, with residents terming the action unwarranted harassment. The matter has been taken care of by our officials there," an official of the poll body said.
Polling was otherwise peaceful across 15 booths in the area, he added.
Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding that till 1 pm, the turnout was 55.57 per cent.
Magrahat Paschim registered 56.33 per cent voter turnout, while in Diamond Harbour, it was 54.9 per cent, a poll official stated.
Voting in these two assembly constituencies was held in the second phase of the state elections on April 29.
The repoll order was based on reports received from returning officers and observers of the two constituencies and "material circumstances", the Election Commission official said.
In Magrahat Paschim, TMC's Md Samim Ahamed Molla is pitted against BJP nominee Goursundar Ghosh, while Abdul Majid Halder of the Congress and ISF candidate Abdul Aziz Al Hassan are also in the fray.
TMC candidate Panna Lal Halder is contesting against Dipak Kumar Halder of the BJP in the Diamond Harbour seat. Goutam Bhattacharya of the Congress and CPI(M)'s Samar Naiya are among other candidates.
The BJP had alleged rampant electoral malpractices in certain polling stations of both the assembly seats under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The EC had deputed its special observer, Subrata Gupta, to fact-check the allegations from the ground.
The poll panel will decide on repolling in the Falta assembly constituency on Saturday.
The West Bengal assembly elections were held in two phases -- April 23 and April 29 -- amid unprecedented security arrangements.
Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
