Raise Shivajinagar metro station naming issue with Centre: Siddaramaiah tells Maharashtra CM
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday asked his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis to take up with the central government any objections regarding the proposal to name the upcoming metro station near Shivajinagar in the city after St Mary.
The chief minister was responding to Fadnavis’ objection to the Karnataka government’s plan, which he termed “an insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.”
“Let him (Fadnavis) speak to the Government of India. We will send (recommendation on naming) to them (Centre); let him speak to them,” Siddaramaiah told reporters here in response to a question.
Siddaramaiah’s positive response earlier this month to the proposal has elicited objections from some sections, including the opposition BJP, which has termed the move as appeasement.
Participating in the inauguration of the annual feast at St Mary’s Basilica on September 8, Siddaramaiah said his government would recommend the naming to the Centre. The metro station is part of the under-construction Pink Line in the city.
Reacting to Fadnavis’ remarks, state Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday asked, “Why is Fadnavis interested in Karnataka and Bengaluru’s matter all of a sudden? I don’t know.”
He added, “Decision regarding naming metro stations will be taken by the in-charge of Bengaluru development and Deputy Chief Minister (DK Shivakumar), as it is a matter related to Bengaluru.”
Accusing the Congress government of “appeasement politics,” Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy on Thursday said the naming should not be based on religion and that his party would oppose it.
“Will they remove the name Shivajinagar? They should not go beyond the limits to please someone. Appeasement has become the first choice of the Congress party. Because of appeasement, the party has gone to the dogs now; still, they are doing appeasement politics. It will not work. We will not allow it,” the BJP leader told reporters.
There have also been objections on social media to the naming on religious grounds, with some demanding that metro stations should be named after the locality or notable personalities.
Some have suggested naming the station after the late Kannada actor Shankar Nag, who is credited with envisioning Bengaluru’s rapid transit system in the 1980s.
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Karnataka govt to strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy, after HC directive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad has said that the government will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy across all sectors at the earliest, following the High Court directive.
The High Court of Karnataka had recently directed the state government to "strictly and faithfully" implement the menstrual leave policy, pending formal enactment of the proposed legislation.
"I welcome the directive issued by the Karnataka High Court in support of our state government's ambitious menstrual leave policy," Lad said.
The state government has taken firm steps to implement the menstrual leave policy comprehensively, and as a model to the country, he said in a post on 'X' on Thursday.
"In line with the court's opinion that menstrual leave is a matter of women's dignity, justice, and humane recognition of their lived realities, we will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy--equivalent to one day per month, or 12 days per year--across all sectors at the earliest," he added.
The court had said that in the interregnum, it shall be incumbent upon the state to ensure effective operationalisation of the policy through the issuance of suitable guidelines, circulars, and administrative instructions, as may be necessary to secure its uniform, consistent, and rigorous implementation across all sectors.
The court issued the directive while hearing on a petition filed by 41-year-old Chandravva Hanumant Gokavi, who works in a hotel in Mudalgi of Gokak taluk in Belagavi district, before the Dharwad bench, seeking implementation of the November 20, 2025, order of the government providing one-day menstrual leave for all working women.
