Former Karnataka chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Parliamentary board member B S Yediyurappa said that he turned down the proposal to name the newly constructed Shivamogga airport after him and said the state government would send a proposal to the Centre to name it after Kuvempu, a Kannada poet and novelist.
Yediyurappa said that a unanimous decision would be taken during the ongoing state assembly sessionto finalise the name, which will be recommended to the central government.
Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, popularly known as Kuvempu, was a renowned 20th-century Kannada poet and author. He was a native of Kuppali in Tirthahalli taluk of Shivamogga district. He is the first among Kannada writers to be awarded the prestigious Jnanpith Award for his epic Sri Ramayana Darshanam in 1967.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Shivamogga on February 27. It is almost certain that the new airport will be inaugurated. On that day, Prime Minister Modi himself said that the name of the National Poet Kuvempu should be announced at the airport. We have decided to name it after Rashtrakavi Kuvempu, the greatest poet this country has seen in the 20th century and a Jnanpith awardee,” Yediyurappa said.
“Kuvempu preached the universal message through writing. Prime Minister Modi is working hard to implement it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working to spread the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” said Yediyurappa.
Earlier, a few BJP leaders suggested naming the airport after Yediyurappa, who represents the Shikaripura assembly constituency. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the proposal with the recommendation would be sent to the Centre.
“Earlier, Yediyurappa had opposed naming the airport after him. The state cabinet has decided to propose his name. However, I hope he accepts it as a token of people’s love for him,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Shivamogga airport, the second largest in Karnataka after Bengaluru, on February 27, Yediyurappa said last week. The airport has been constructed over 530 acres of land in Sogane village, bearing survey number 120.
