Differences emerge over naming of new Chikkamagaluru-Tirupati weekly express

Just days after the new weekly express train connecting Chikkamagaluru and Tirupati was launched, differences have emerged over the naming of the same. While leaders of the BJP want the train to be named after Dattatreya, the descendants of Syed Bababudan Shah Khadri have suggested the name ‘Bababudan’ for the train.

Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna flagged off the inaugural train in Chikkamagaluru on Friday, July 11. At the inaugural ceremony, Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council M.K. Pranesh said that Dattratreya’s name would be appropriate for the new train. He maintained that nobody would oppose it. Lok Sabha member Kota Srinivasa Poojari opined that there were a couple of suggestions similar to the one suggested by Mr. Pranesh. “Dattatreya Express, Dattapeetha Express, or Dattapeetha to Srinivasa Peetha are among the suggestions,” he stated.

Responding to the pleas on naming the train, Mr. Somanna said that the Railway Board would finalise the name based on the suggestions from elected representatives of Chikkamagaluru.

A day later, Syed Faqruddin Shah Khadri, representing a trust of the Syed Budan Shah Khadri Descendants committee posted memorandums addressed to the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister on social media platforms with an appeal to name the train after Bababudan, the Sufi saint. Mr. Faqruddin Shah Khadri maintained that the saint had been credited with bringing coffee beans from Yemen to India, and with that, laid a foundation for the coffee revolution in the country. Besides that, the saint had been respected by people of all religions, he said.

When contacted over phone, Mr. Faqruddin Shah Khadri said that the memorandum had been posted on social media, and that it would be sent to the Prime Minister’s Office and others concerned through the Deputy Commissioner on Monday.

Controversy

For the past few decades, Chikkamagaluru has witnessed a row over the cave shrine Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah in the taluk, venerated by both the Hindus and the Muslims. Pro-Hindutva forces have been demanding that the place be declared a Hindu place of worship. The matter has been in court for decades. Meanwhile, progressive organiasations have been in support of retaining the syncretic nature of the shrine.