Change of name of Ramanagara district in Karnataka shows Cong's hatred for Lord Ram: BJP

New Delhi: The BJP on Friday slammed the Karnataka government’s decision to change the name of Ramanagara district, saying it exposed the “anti-Ram” and “anti-Hindu” mindset of the Congress.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the Congress government in the state is mired in several scams, including the one linked to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), but instead of addressing them and people’s problems, it has changed the name of Ramanagara district.

The Karnataka Cabinet on Friday decided to rename the district as Bengaluru South.

“We have decided to rename Ramanagara district as Bengaluru South….It is being done keeping in mind ‘Brand Bengaluru’ and based on the demand of the people there. The Revenue Department will start the process,” Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.

Poonawalla asked if the state government has done this to help its “real estate friends” and due to its hatred for Lord Ram.

He claimed that the Congress has a history of opposing the Ram temple, questioning the existence of Lord Ram and speaking of “Hindu terror” while its allies made disparaging comments on Ramcharitmanas.

It shows the “anti-Ram” and “anti-Hindu” mindset of the Congress, he said.

The Congress was also recently critical of the renaming of ‘Durbar Hall’ and ‘Ashok Hall’ in the Rashtrapati Bhawan as ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ and ‘Ashok Mandap’ respectively, Poonawalla said.

It has, however, gone ahead and changed the name of Ramanagara district, he added.