Mangaluru: Mangaluru South MLA Vedavyas Kamath announced his plans to honour the late former Union Minister George Fernandes on Saturday, January 11. The statement comes nearly one year after the Mangaluru-born parliamentarian died due to natural causes on January 29, 2019.
Taking to Facebook, Kamath revealed his plans to memorialize Fernandes by naming a road after the legendary Mangalurean in the Bejai area. He said, “Planning to name a road in Bejai area as it was his (Fernandes) birthplace in Mangaluru. Renaming a road is a tribute as he had achieved several landmarks in Indian political history.”
Lauding Fernandes as the mastermind behind the Konkan Railway (connecting Mumbai and Mangaluru), Kamath expressed his intention behind the tribute and said, “This has been a thought process since long as I want the future generations of the Coast City to know about him. Let his name be intact in memory of Mangalureans for centuries to come.[sic]”
Born to Mangaluru Christian parents, George Fernandes first made his mark as a firebrand trade unionist in Mumbai. Soon after bursting into the national limelight, Fernandes turned to politics and became the Railway Minister under V P Singh’s government in 1989. He also served as India’s Defence Minister under the Vajpayee-led NDA government at the Centre.
After he passed away in 2019, tributes from all across the country poured in, and prominent figures such as Prime Minister Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed their condolences on Twitter.
Hinting at future honorary projects, Vedavyas Kamath further said, “Apart from this, I will even plan other things to get his achievements recognised.”
