Siddaramaiah’s Proposal To Rename Shivajinagar Metro As St Mary Sparks Political Row

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah's recent remark about renaming the upcoming metro station in Bengaluru's Shivajinagar after St Mary has triggered a political row, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denouncing the move as an "insult" to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Speaking at an event at St Mary's Basilica in Shivajinagar, Siddaramaiah stated that he had recommended to the Centre that the metro station be named after St Mary. His comment drew sharp criticism from Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who condemned the proposal.

"I condemn the Karnataka government's move to rename Shivajinagar metro station in Bengaluru after St Mary. It is an insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," PTI quoted Fadnavis as saying. He also accused Congress of having a "tradition of insulting" the Maratha ruler, citing former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's remarks on Shivaji in Discovery of India.

Fadnavis further said he prayed that the "Almighty gives Siddaramaiah sense" to withdraw the plan, describing it as religiously motivated and disrespectful to Shivaji Maharaj. Maharashtra BJP MLC Chitra Wagh also criticised the move, claiming it revealed Congress's "hatred" of the Maratha king. She alleged that Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad had pushed for the renaming and that Siddaramaiah had forwarded the proposal to the Centre.

Karnataka BJP leader Chalwadi Narayan Swami, Leader of Opposition in the state's Legislative Council, accused Congress of pursuing appeasement politics. "Will they remove the name Shivajinagar? They should not go beyond the limits. Congress has already suffered losses due to appeasement, yet they continue with it. We will not allow this," he said.

The row has now escalated into a political flashpoint between the Congress-led Karnataka government and the BJP in both Karnataka and Maharashtra.