Name Chandigarh airport after Bhagat Singh: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said here on Wednesday that there is a national consensus on naming Chandigarh's new airport terminal after Bhagat Singh and a formal decision in this regard should not be delayed any more.

The chief minister also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene personally to put a quick end to any controversy on the issue, as this was creating an unsavoury situation.

"A proposal to this effect is already with the government of India and we all assume and still remain convinced that considering the massive national following Sardar Bhagat Singh enjoys, no one would even consider opposing the proposal," an official statement quoting the chief minister said.

Badal said martyr Bhagat Singh is a national and international icon on par with heroes and martyrs like Martin Luther King (Junior), Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.

"Sardar Bhagat Singh as the pride of India does not belong to Punjab alone but is a national treasure," he said.

"It is distasteful and even an affront to all our great national icons even to drag the issue of naming the international airport at Mohali after Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat into a controversy," the chief minister added.

Modi had, on September 11, inaugurated the new terminal of the airport, which has a provision for handling international flights and passengers.

The new terminal is actually in Punjab's Mohali town.