Mysuru, 10 July

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the State Cabinet would take a decision on the proposal to rename Ramanagara district as ‘Bengaluru South.'

The proposal to rename the district, consisting of Ramanagara, Magadi, Kanakapura, Channapatna and Harohalli taluks, has once again gained steam, with a Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar-led delegation on Tuesday meeting Siddaramaiah and submitting a memorandum to raise the pitch.

They have also proposed that Ramanagara town, about 50 km from here, remain as the headquarters of the renamed district.

Taking a dig at the proposal, JD(S) leader and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday reportedly said that he would reverse the plan, if implemented, in the event of him becoming Chief Minister again.

Kumaraswamy, a former chief minister, also alleged that the motive behind the proposal was to exploit real estate opportunities there.

Ramanagara is the home district of Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief. Shivakumar, who first mooted the proposal in October last year, is in-charge Minister for Ramanagara and also the Bengaluru City Development Minister.

Reacting to Kumarawamy's comments, Siddaramaiah said: "first of all they won't come to power. So he (Kumaraswamy) reversing it is an illusion."

Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister of the JD(S)-BJP coalition when Ramanagara district was carved out in August 2007. PTI