BENGALURU: Bangalore Rural MP Dr CN Manjunath has written to CM Siddaramaiah, urging him not to consider the proposal of changing the name of Ramanagara district to Bengaluru South.
In his letter, Dr Manjunath said it is not right to change a name in this manner. There is an emotional, religious, historical and mythological connect with the name. Former CM Kengal Hanumanthiah changed the name of the district from Closepete to Ramanagara.
Shivakumara Mahaswamiji of Siddaganga Mutt and Balagangadharanatha Swamiji of Adichunchungiri Mutt were born in the district, and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda is also from this region. Ramanagara has given five CMs, and JDS leader HD Deve Gowda became PM after winning from this region as MP, he wrote. He said there is a belief that this is Kanva Maharshi’s place and Lord Ram had stayed at Ramgiri hill.
Manjunath said there is Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency in Bengaluru Urban district, and a district with the same name will create confusion. Slamming the proposal to change the name to ‘’develop’’ the district, he said if the name Bengaluru would have made this region developed, it would have been developed between 1947 and 1986, when it was part of Bengaluru Urban, and 1986 to 2007, when it was Bengaluru Rural district. This region started developing when it was renamed Ramanagara district in 2007.