CM Vijayan says had no plans to change Kannada names to Malayalam

Thiruvananthapuram: Responding to the allegations raised by Karnataka leaders, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the state government has no intention to change the names of villages that share borders with Karnataka in Kasaragod district.

He categorically denied was there any talk of changing the names of villages from Kannada and Tulu to Malayalam as ever made. The CM also expressed his astonishment over the origin of such news from nowhere.

Soon after the news of the removal of villages that share borders with Karnataka began to float on media, leaders irrespective of their party allegiance wrote to Chief Minister Vijayan requesting him to retract from the renaming process.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurppa and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah are said to have written to CM Vijayan, narrating the culture and emotional bond the people of the area have with the names for years.

"It is astonishing to note that in the recent past, there is an attempt by the local bodies to change names of some villages without giving an opportunity to the residents of these areas to express their views," Yediyurppa said in the letter to Vijayan.

Siddaramaiah letter reads that "the people of Kasargod share a unique relationship with Kannada and are emotionally connected with the village names. Any attempts to rename the villages will demoralise them and make them feel alienated from their homeland. It is essential to ensure that anti-social elements do not disturb the sense of universal brotherhood."