Shivamogga airport to be named after Yediyurappa, says Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has stated that the state government has decided to name the new airport at Shivamogga after former chief minister BS Yediyurappa and will soon send a proposal to the Centre.

Though the veteran BJP leader had expressed his reservations over naming the airport after him, the state Cabinet decided to propose his name. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the airport, which was completed in 18 months, on February 27, coinciding with Yediyurappa’s 80th birthday.

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Addressing an event in Shivamogga on Wednesday, Bommai credited Yediyurappa for playing a key role in realising the work on the airport. The move is largely seen as an attempt to placate the senior leader who is reportedly displeased about being sidelined since his removal as Karnataka chief minister in 2021. The BJP also appointed him to the party’s Parliamentary Board and Central Election Committee last year, but it achieved little in addressing the discontent.

When the state government had first mooted the proposal last year, Yediyurappa had urged Bommai not to take any such step, saying it would be “inappropriate” and had suggested naming it after any other Karnataka personality.

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“I express my gratitude for taking the decision to name the airport after me but there are a lot of people who have served the country and have contributed to the development of the country. I feel naming the airport after me is not a proper decision and request you to revisit the decision and name it after someone who has contributed to the betterment of the nation,” Yediyurappa had said in a letter.

Yediyurappa’s letter had come after the state government move had drawn flak on social media platforms with many suggesting that the airport should be named after literary giants such as Kuvempu, GS Shivarudrappa or UR Ananthamurthy.