Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Monday wrote to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan requesting him to halt the process of renaming some villages in Manjeshwar of Kasargod district, which have Kannada names, to Malayalam in the name of linguistic harmoney and cultural co-existance.
A statement released on Monday from his office, reads: "I learnt from the media that there is a move by the Kerala government to rename some villages in Manjeshwar in Kasargod district, which bear a Kannada flavour, into Malayalam. If this has to be believed, may I sincerely request you to halt the process in the name of linguistic harmony and cultural co-existence. Kasargod, albeit being a part of Kerala, has had a seamless affinity with Karnataka for decades, and people in the area have always been accommodative of each other's linguistic heritage. It would be wonderful to continue this tradition. There is an argument that the name change may not affect the meaning, but to allow the village names to retain the original Kannada flavour would be greatly appreciated."
Earlier on Sunday, Karnataka Border Area Development Authority (KBADA) chairman C Somasekhara also said that the change of names would destroy the Kannada and Tulu culture which has existed in the region for a long.
The KBADA chairman also said that the local bodies are attempting to change the Kannada names into Malayalam without consulting the local people.