Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada District Youth Congress president Mithun Rai has kicked off an online campaign with a demand to rename Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) after the legendary twin Tuluva heroes —Koti and Chennaya.
Residents from the coast have been active on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms pushing their demand to rename the airport after the twin heroes of Tulunadu.
The airport was recently handed over to Adani Airports for its maintenance as per a decision taken by the Union cabinet in July 2019. Consequently, on October 31, the Adani Group took over the management of MIA.
Congress leader Mithun Rai @TheMithunRai tweeted soon after the airport was handed over – “Mr @gautam_adani, since you are the decision making authority now for the Mangaluru International Airport, instead of changing to Adani Airports, we the citizens of Mangaluru humbly request you to change it to KOTI CHENNAYA International Airport. #AdaniTakesOverMangaluruAirport (SIC)”.
While many have backed Rai by retweeting and replying to his tweet, some also have opposed the views and want the airport to be named as Tulunadu International Airport or Mangaladevi International Airport.
Meanwhile, Ranjith @ranjithshetty98 in reply to Rai’s tweet wrote: “Dear ‘Tulunadu International Airport’ will be more appropriate. It helps us to identify ourselves as Tuluvas in the outside world.”
However, DYFI state president Muneer Katipalla told TOI that “the airport has already been handed over to Adani Group for 50 years. There is no point in raising a demand now to rename the airport after Koti – Chennaya, Kudmul Ranga Rao (social reformer) or Deyi Baidethi (mother of Koti – Chennaya).”