In a speech delivered at the Valmiki Jayanti celebrations on Tuesday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced plans to recommend to the Union government that Bengaluru’s metro be renamed in tribute to the sage Valmiki.
Though he acknowledged that the initiative cannot be unilaterally implemented by the state, he expressed confidence that the Centre would need to lend its approval.
“I cannot do it myself. Both the Centre and the state are running the metro. I will recommend it. The Centre has to agree. We need to see what happens,” he said during the event according to Deccan Herald report.
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Alongside the renaming proposal, Siddaramaiah pledged to examine a suggestion by Congress leader V. S. Ugrappa to incorporate references to Valmiki and the Ramayana into school curricula. He also disclosed that the state has allocated two acres of land for a Valmiki Bhavan/Soudha project, with funding expected to be announced in the next state budget.
‘Namma Metro’ to ‘Basava Metro’
This Valmiki-centric proposition follows Siddaramaiah’s earlier announcement that he would recommend renaming the city’s metro system after Basavanna, the 12th-century philosopher-reformer honored in the Basava Culture Campaign 2025.
{{/usCountry}}This Valmiki-centric proposition follows Siddaramaiah’s earlier announcement that he would recommend renaming the city’s metro system after Basavanna, the 12th-century philosopher-reformer honored in the Basava Culture Campaign 2025.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking at the campaign’s closing event, the CM said, “I would recommend to the central government to name our metro as Basava Metro. If this were entirely a state government project, I would have announced it already.”
He noted that while Karnataka contributes a significant share to the metro’s financing (reportedly 87 percent vs the Centre’s 13 percent), full renaming would require central consent.
The proposal drew spirited public reaction, with many Bangalore residents and social commentators arguing that “Namma Metro” has become part of the city's urban identity.
Some viewed the name change as symbolic outreach, while others urged the government to prioritize operational issues over symbolic rebranding.
(With agency inputs)
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