The Centre’s decision to name the domestic terminal at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has rocked the Telangana Assembly, with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao and other leaders strongly opposing the move. The House passed a resolution, asking the Centre to maintain a status quo on the issue.

Barring TDP and BJP, all other parties opposed the Government’s decision on Friday and demanded it to name the terminal after Telangana icons such as tribal leader Komuram Bheem. Social networks too were flooded with posts and comments, opposing and supporting the move.

Flaying the move, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao wondered why the Union Government chose to name it after an Andhra leader. Terming it unfortunate, he said the Centre had not consulted the State government while taking the decision. He later moved the resolution which the House has passed.

The Centre announced the decision on Thursday naming the terminal on NTR’s name. While shifting the International airport to Shamshabad in March 2008 from Begumpet, the then Congress Government named it after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (the international terminal was named after him at the Begumpet airport) but chose not to continue with NTR’s name for the domestic terminal. This had attracted criticism from the Telugu Desam Party.

The issue now has become politically sensitive as the late NTR hailed from Krishna district (now in the new State of Andhra Pradesh) was the founder of Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Political, emotional, financial issues and issues related to natural resources have sharply divided the people in the two States ever since the bifurcation happened in June this year.

Now that P Ashok Gajapathi Raju, a senior TDP leader, is holding the Civil Aviation Ministry in the Coalition Government, the Andhra Pradesh Government reportedly convinced the Union Government to bring back the NTR tag for the domestic terminal.

MoCA for change of terminal name

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the RGIA confirmed receipt of the order on name change from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. “We have received it on Wednesday,” he said.

The airport, however, has not indicated from when the name would be changed.

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Published on November 21, 2014