BELAGAVI: Heeding the long-pending demand of pro-Kannada organisations, the state government has decided to rename the Mumbai-Karnataka region as Kittur-Karnataka.
After inaugurating the Chennamana Kittur Utsava at Kittur on Saturday, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the next cabinet meeting will clear the proposal. The announcement was met with prolonged cheering. Former chief minister BS Yediyurappa had renamed Hyderabad-Karnataka as Kalyana-Karnataka.
Bommai, who arrived late evening to flag off the two-day Kittur festival, said the government will also declare Kittur Utsava a state-level festival to be celebrated across the state. He said the torch of Kittur when ruled by Chennamma was taken across the state. Similarly, the torch of valour will be taken to every district and guidelines for this will be issued soon.
Kittur Rani Chennamma fought the British for freedom about 40 years before Jhansi Rani Laxmibai. He said the state should spread the word across the country that Chennamma was the first woman freedom fighter.
