"Nothing Wrong In Renaming Karnataka As Basava Nadu": Minister

Karnataka Minister MB Patil on Friday said there are demands to rename Vijayapura district after 12th-century social reformer Basaveshwara (Basavanna), and added that there is nothing wrong in renaming the entire state of Karnataka as 'Basava Nadu' (land of Basava).

The remarks of the state's Large and Medium Industries Minister came days after Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's proposal to rename Ramanagara district as 'Bengaluru South'.

"During the 'Hoysala' period, the region was known as Vijayapura, later under Adil Shahi dynasty's rule, it became Bijapur. The name was changed back to Vijayapura. Now, many people have demanded that it be renamed as Basaveshwara district. It is natural as this district is the birthplace of Basavanna, and there is nothing wrong in it," Mr Patil, who represents the Bableshwar constituency in Vijayapura district, said. 

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "There are some technical issues though. Bijapur became Vijayapura, and if it has to become Basaveshwara, there will be some inconvenience, as a change in nomenclature will have to be done in a lot of places. There are such concerns raised. I will discuss with the chief minister and after considering pros and cons, we will decide." 

With the union government giving its approval to change the names of 12 cities in Karnataka, including its capital from Bangalore to Bengaluru in 2014, Bijapur came to be known as Vijayapura.

Responding to a question regarding his opinion about renaming Karnataka as 'Basava Nadu', Mr Patil said, "It's natural, what's wrong in it? It was Basavanna who gave 'Anubhava Mantapa', the first Parliament of the world. He gave the social concept. We keep saying that our land should become 'Basava Nadu' and that we must embrace 'Basava Samskruti'."

He said there are also demands to declare Basavanna as Karnataka's cultural icon or leader. 

"There are also demands to name the entire metro rail network (in Bengaluru) after Basaveshwara. Similarly, the Vijayapura airport must be named after him. Will discuss with the chief minister and take an appropriate decision." 

One of Karnataka's politically dominant communities - the Lingayats - which is said to constitute about 17 per cent of the state's population, finds its origins with Basavanna. Though the community is spread across the state, it is predominant in the North Karnataka region. Mr Patil belongs to this community. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)