Sharma: Haryana fine with Bhagat Singh airport name

Chandigarh, On a day when Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal wrote to the Prime Minister to name the international airport in Mohali after Shaheed-e Azam Bhagat Singh, state BJP chief Kamal Sharma claimed that Haryana’s BJP government had no problem with the proposal, provided “Mohali” was not added to the name.
He told The Tribune that he supported Badal’s demand and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar agreed with it, but the issue was regarding using the name of the city.
Haryana was demanding that the airport be named after RSS ideologue Mangal Sen.
Kamal Sharma said Haryana now wanted “Chandigarh” instead of “Mohali” mentioned as the airport’s base station. “They argue that using Mohali gives a clear impression that the airport is in Punjab whereas Haryana and Punjab have jointly shared 49 per cent cost of the Rs 452-crore project. The Airports Authority of India has funded 51 per cent of the cost.”
Haryana argues that the Special Purpose Vehicle created via a tripartite agreement between Haryana, Punjab and the AAI was called Chandigarh International Airport Limited. Hence, there was no room to use Mohali in the name.
Badal has, in a letter, urged Modi to take a final decision about naming of the airport.
“It is distasteful and even an affront to all our great national icons to drag the issue of naming the International Airport at Mohali after Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat into a controversy,” he wrote.
He also ridiculed Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh for trying to politicise “even the legacy of our national martyrs”.
CPI (M) had last week flayed the Centre and the Haryana government for demanding to name the airport after Mangal Sen instead of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.