Karnataka: Yediyurappa Again Turns Down Proposal to Name Shivamogga Airport After Him

Former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa has once again turned down the proposal to name the newly constructed Shivamogga airport after him. He has requested the Basavaraj Bommai-led government to name the new airport after the prominent Kannadiga poet Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, popularly known by his pen name Kuvempu.

This is the second time in less than a year that the idea of naming it after the four-time CM, who also hails from Shivamogga, has been proposed. The airport is expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, which is coincidentally Yediyurappa’s 80th birthday.

Yediyurappa said a proposal for a name for the airport proposal will be sent to the Centre after a unanimous decision in the ongoing legislative session of the Karnataka assembly.

“Shivamogga should be named after Kuvempu… he is the greatest poet of the 20th century,” the senior BJP leader, while speaking to the media after the state cabinet passed a resolution to name the airport after him.

Kuvempu, who has been honoured with the title ‘Rashtrakavi’ in 1964, is also the first Kannadiga to win the Jnanpith award. He also wrote Karnataka’s state anthem – Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate (Victory to you Mother Karnataka, the Daughter of Mother India)

On February 10, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai announced while speaking at an event in Shivamogga that the state cabinet had decided to propose Yediyurappa’s name for the airport. In April 2022, when the same was proposed, Yediyurappa had politely declined the offer in a letter to the CM. He had said naming it after him would not be “appropriate”.

“I am touched by chief minister Bommai’s decision to name the Shivamogga airport after me. With all humility, I request the government to name the airport after any illustrious personality or patriot of Karnataka, which will be a befitting tribute to their contribution… compared to them my contributions are few,” Yediyurappa had said in the letter dated March 24, 2022.

The Shivamogga airport being constructed at Sogane has been a dream of Yediyurappa for many decades and has been pushing for it since 2006, however, the actual work on the airport began in 2020.The project has been undertaken by the central regional airport development programme called UDAAN, the Hindi acronym for Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik.

The state-of-the-art airport will have top-notch facilities just like Bengaluru’s Kempegowda airport and can also boast of the second longest runway of 3,299 m after Bengaluru.

“The airport would give a big boost to education, health services, and industrialisation of Shivamogga… It would be an airport of international standards where an airbus can land,” Bommai had said, describing the airport’s capabilities.

Interestingly, it was former Karnataka RDPR (rural development and panchayat raj department) minister KS Eshwarappa, Shivamogga MLA and a leader known to have frequent differences with Yediyurappa, who mooted the latter’s name for the airport.

Other names suggested for the airport were of Dr BR Ambedkar, progressive rulers like Keladi Shivappa Nayaka, Keladi Chennamma and founder of Kadamba dynasty Mayuravarma, 12th century social reformer Akka Mahadevi and Rashtrakavi Kuvempu among others.

Political observers said the move by the ruling BJP to name it after Yediyurappa was an attempt to assuage the senior leader, who had been asked to step down as CM in 2021 by the BJP central leadership. Disgruntled and sidelined since his ouster, another attempt was made to cajole the Lingayat strongman by appointing him to the BJP parliamentary board and central election committee. His successor Bommai has been trying hard to keep the shaky BJP boat steady since Yediyurappa’s exit.

Ahead of this year’s state elections, steps such as these are being seen as the BJP’s way to placate the senior leader, who helped the BJP come to power in the south.

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