Bhagat Singh's kin reiterates demand for renaming Chandigarh airport after martyr

Bengaluru: Bhagat Singh’s grand nephew, Abhitej Singh Sandhu on Thursday said that youth will not allow the Chandigarh International Airport to operate until the central Government names the airport after the martyr. “If the naming is not done soon, the youth of the country will not let the Chandigarh International Airport to operate till the time the Central Government names it after Shaeed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh,” Sandhu said. Both Punjab and Haryana governments had proposed and agreed to name the airport after Bhagat Singh, a national icon of the country’s freedom struggle, he claimed and said the Haryana government should stand by its earlier decision to name the airport after Bhagat Singh. [caption id=“attachment_2593822” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Chandigarh airport. Image courtesy: aai.aero.com[/caption] Both legislative assemblies of Punjab and Haryana in 2009 and 2010 had passed resolutions to name the airport after the martyr, Sandhu said. Both Punjab and Haryana governments have locked horns over the naming of Chandigarh International Airport after Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar stirred a hornet’s nest by reportedly proposing the name of late RSS leader Mangal Sein instead of Bhagat Singh. The Punjab government wants the airport to be named after Bhagat Singh while the Centre is yet to take a decision in naming the airport after the martyr. The issue also has attained political overtones with the Indian National Lok Dal and, Punjab Pradesh Congress condemning the BJP Government in Haryana reported proposal to name the airport after Mangal Sein. PTI