Bengaluru’s Namma Metro to be renamed? CM Siddaramaiah proposes new name

Bengaluru Metro

Karnataka Chief Minister (CM) Siddaramaiah on Sunday announced that he will submit a proposal to the Central government to rename the Bangalore Metro Rail project, or "Namma Metro," as "Basava Metro". The proposed name change is a tribute to the 12th-century social reformer Basavanna.

Siddaramaiah made the announcement during the closing ceremony of the "Basava Culture Campaign-2025", organised to commemorate the declaration of “Vishwaguru Basavanna" as the “Karnataka Cultural Leader." The event was attended by seers and spiritual leaders from various Lingayat maths.

The CM clarified that because the Bangalore Metro is a joint project between the state and central governments, approval from the Centre is required for the name change to proceed.

“Metro project is by both the state and central government. Our (state) share may be more at 87 per cent, 13 per cent by the Centre, but still, without central government’s approval, we cannot do anything. I will place this proposal before the central government," Siddaramaiah said, responding to the demand from the crowd, news agency PTI reported.

The Chief Minister further added, “You need not demand us to do things about Basavanna…if the project was entirely by our government, I would have given my approval now itself, but as it is the project jointly both by the state and the central government, I cannot give approval here. I will have to write to the Centre and seek their approval. Our government will look into it."

Vachana University to be setup by next year: CM

According to a report by News18, during the event, the Congress leader also announced that the state government has agreed to a proposal for establishing a “Vachana University", which will be set up next year. ‘Vachana’, a distinct prosaic literary style in Kannada, was used extensively by Basavanna and other leaders of the 12th-century Sharana movement to spread messages of social equality and awareness.

In his address, the CM shared details about the progress of the ongoing construction of a replica of the ‘Anubhava Mantapa’ at Basavakalyan in Bidar district. The structure, which represents the world’s first religious parliament where saints and philosophers like Basavanna once gathered for discourse, is expected to be completed next year.

Reiterating his admiration for Basavanna’s teachings, he was quoted by News18 as saying: “Basavanna preached coexistence and tolerance throughout his life. I too, will follow this." He stressed that no one is superior because of caste, and that talent and knowledge are not confined to any particular community.

“Basavanna’s dream was to build a humane society without caste and class. We are all human beings first, then Indians. Therefore, we should not tolerate or practice man-made discrimination of caste, religion, and inequality,” he added.

The CM concluded by drawing a parallel between Basavanna’s values and the principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution.