Bangalore Central MP P C Mohan on Thursday urged the BBMP to name the Chamarajpet Idgah after Chamarajendra Wadiyar, the erstwhile maharaja of Mysuru.
This was one of the demands put forth by protesters who had staged a dawn-to-dusk bandh on July 12. The bandh evoked a mixed response.
"Chamarajpet is one of the oldest parts of Bengaluru. The BBMP ground has been used by the public, including children, as a playground. This playground is the property of the government. It is being called by different names such as Yemme Maidan, Kuri Maidan and Idgah Maidan. At the request of local residents, I urge you to name the playground after Chamarajendra Wadiyar," the BJP MP said in the letter to BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath.
Mohan also urged the BBMP to allow Republic Day, Ambedkar Jayanti, International Yoga Day, Independence Day, Kannada Rajyotsava and Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava events, besides religious festivals such as Maha Shivaratri, Ganesh Chaturthi and Dasara at the playground.
The parliamentarian's letter comes in the backdrop of a dispute over the ownership of the two-acre, 10-gunta property in the heart of old Bengaluru.
In early June, the BBMP claimed ownership of the property but backtracked later after the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf submitted documents, including a 1964 judgement of the Supreme Court, stating that the Idgah is a wakf property.
Some pro-Hindu outfits have, however, refused to accept the BBMP's stand. B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, Chamarajpet MLA, last week asserted that the Idgah would forever remain a playground.