Name Haj Bhavan after Kalam, BSY tells Karnataka Government

BENGALURU:The confrontation between Haj and Wakf minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and BJP over the minister’s proposal to name Karnataka Haj Bhavan after Tipu Sultan took an interesting turn on Sunday with the leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly B S Yeddyurappa demanding that it be named after former President A P J Abdul Kalam if at all the Bhavan has to be renamed.

BJP state General Secretary Shobha Karandlaje has already threatened to stage statewide protests if the JD(S)-Congress coalition government goes ahead with Zameer’s proposal.“There is no need to name Haj Bhavan after Tipu. Zameer is unnecessarily trying to vitiate the social harmony in the state. The Haj Bhavan was built during my tenure as Chief Minister. It is better to name it after former President A P J Abdul Kalam if the state government is determined to have a name for it,” Yeddyurappa said speaking to reporters after releasing a booklet on the achievements of Narendra Modi’s 4-year government at the Centre.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara has stated that no final decision has been taken on naming the Haj Bhavan after Tipu Sultan. “We have received a proposal from Haj and Wakf minister Zameer in this regard. But no decision has been taken yet on the proposal,” he said and accused the BJP leaders of trying to stoke a controversy over Tipu yet again.