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Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's suggestion to rename the 156-year-old Ravenshaw University in Cuttack has sparked a political row with Opposition Biju Janata Dal and Congress demanding an apology from him.
Pradhan while attending a programme in Cuttack on Saturday had suggested that the name Ravenshaw University be changed.
"There is a need for a name change. What did Ravenshaw, after whom the university is named, do during the famine," the minister had asked, adding that it was his personal opinion and open to debate.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty at a press conference here came down heavily on Pradhan and said that the Union Education minister lacks knowledge of the history of the state and the contribution of Ravenshaw to higher education in Odisha.
"It is a very unfortunate statement given by Pradhan under the cover of Odisha 'Asmita' (pride). He should have read a little history before doing so," Mohanty said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party immediately reacted and asked the opposition party not to make it a political issue.
"The remark on Ravenshaw was the Union minister's personal opinion. He is free to give his opinion on issues," said deputy chief minister KV Singhdeo and Odisha's higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj.
BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said: "The BJD has the habit of arguing in support of non-Odia officers. Now, they have crossed all limits and are fighting for a British officer. The Union minister has taken a democratic approach by seeking a debate on the issue. The BJD during its 24-year rule did not even hand over an inch of land in the name of Ravenshaw university while claiming its love for the institute.
Congress MLA from Barabati-Cuttack Sofia Firdous said that Ravenshaw is an emotion and instead of being bothered about trivial things like renaming it, steps should be taken to develop it into a world-class university.
Congress in a statement said that the BJP should change its mindset and refrain from its act of changing the name and colour of institutions.
The prestigious institution in Cuttack city was named after Thomas Edward Ravenshaw, a British bureaucrat. He was instrumental in establishing the institute in 1868, just a couple of years after the Great Odisha Famine (Na Anka Durbhikshya).
The institute became a full-fledged university in 2006 and currently comprises nine schools and 33 departments, and has nearly 8,000 students. It is the only public university in the state to have got NAAC A++ grade.
Stating that he was against renaming Raveshaw university, former MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik said he was ready for a debate over the matter. "Changing the name of Ravenshaw university does not change the character or increase the quality of education. The Union Education Minister should take steps to improve the quality of education," Patnaik said.