Subsequent of the BJP MLA C T Ravi seeking to rename Indira Canteens, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha has urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to rename Rajiv Gandhi National Park at Nagarahole in honour of Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa. His letter to Chief Minster follows an online petition launched by a few individuals early in August urging the Karnataka government to rename the park after Field Marshal Cariappa.

In his letter dated August 30, Pratap Simha argued that 3 out of 103 national parks in India bear the name of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, including the one at Nagarahole. In addition,  there are several other national parks in India bearing the names of members of the Nehru-Gandhi family, which he described as an attempt to ‘wrongfully appropriate inheritance of projects of the government of India aimed at biodiversity conservation’.

Citing the online campaign, Simha said that Nagarahole derives its name from a winding river that runs eastward through the forest, which was declared a sanctuary in 1955. The forest was spread over 258 sqkm, which was subsequently expanded to cover an area of 643.39 sqkm spread across Mysuru and Kodagu districts. Considering the sentiments of a vast majority of the people of Kodagu district, Simha requests that Rajiv Gandhi National Park be renamed as Field Marshal K.M.Cariappa Nagarahole National Park and Tiger Reserve.

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