Bengaluru, Jul 27: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday said the government's decision to rename Ramanagara district as ‘Bengaluru South’ was to utilise the brand of the capital city to give a new direction to next generation and bring development to the region.

Noting that the government was not changing the name of the district headquarter town Ramanagara, he said only that of the district will be changed, which comprises four Taluks – Ramanagara, Channapatna, Kanakapura and Magadi.

“We are not touching Ramanagara (town). Bengaluru is our district. Those living in Ramanagara Taluk, Channapatna Taluk, Kanakapura Taluk and Magadi Taluk are our people. Ours is Bengaluru, not Ramanagara,” Shivakumar, who is Kanakapura Congress MLA, told reporters here.

The Karnataka cabinet on Friday approved changing the name of Ramanagara as Bengaluru South district.

ALSO READ: Karnataka govt. decides to rename Ramanagara district as Bengaluru South

“Today Bengaluru is famous worldwide. Why should we spoil the name given by our forefathers?” Shivakumar pointed out.

The Deputy CM insisted that Ramanagara will remain the headquarters of the proposed Bengaluru South district.

Explaining the reason behind the change of name, he said, “We are thinking about our next generation to give them a new direction, good thoughts, new ideas and their development.”

On Union Minister of Steel and Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy’s statements against the decision, Shivakumar said Kumaraswamy’s politics revolved around wishing for his downfall.

“He (Kumaraswamy) sleeps and gets up thinking of our downfall even though we do good to him. I am aware of his actions, behaviour, sentiments, conduct and thoughts.

Kumaraswamy has slammed the state government's decision to rename Ramanagara as Bengaluru South.

Kumaraswamy was the CM when Ramanagara district was carved out in August 2007 from four Taluks of Bengaluru.

He was also the MLA from the same district.

The Union Minister said, “Shivakumar was an MLA (of Kanakapura constituency) from the same district when the district was formed. Why didn’t he protest in 2007 (when the name was changed). It was done unanimously and no one protested in the Vidhana Soudha.”

Responding to remarks of Kumaraswamy that the name of the district will be changed again when the Congress loses in the next election, Shivakumar said, “It’s not in his destiny. Congress will return to power in 2028.”

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Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.

Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”

He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.

His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.

Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.

He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.

“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.