THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The debate over naming the new campus of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) after RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar is refusing to die down with more political leaders expressing opposition to the move and BJP leaders backing it fiercely. Union minister V Muraleedharan on Sunday asked the critics whether the Nehru Trophy Boat Race was named after Jawaharlal Nehru because the first prime minister was a sportsman.
“Several institutions in Kerala have been named after Communist leaders. There are many institutions named after Indira Gandhi who tried to destroy democracy and free speech. Golwalkar was a zoology professor at Banaras Hindu University. He returned to active RSS activities while doing his PhD in marine biology. I wonder what his disqualification is,” he told mediapersons in Kasaragod on Sunday.
“No institution should have been named after Communist leaders who served jail terms for sedition. What is the criterion for opposing Golwalkar who stood for nationalism? The government college at Perinthalmanna was named after Pookoya Thangal just because he had served as the Muslim League president. He was not an MLA or even a panchayat member,” he said.
Responding to MP Shashi Tharoor’s demand that the RGCB campus be named after Dr P Palpu, he said: “Let Tharoor first say why Palpu’s name was ignored when the Perinthalmanna college was named after Pookoya Thangal.” He said the BJP state committee had no role in the naming and the decision was taken by the governing council of the RGCB.
K Surendran, BJP state president, said the naming of the second campus of RGCB after Golwalkar has become a straw of hope for the “left and right fronts” who are grappling with various issues. Addressing mediapersons in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Surendran said the controversy over the naming of the campus is unnecessary.
Binoy Viswam, CPI leader and MP, said the incident is proof of the intellectual arrogance of the BJP. “The decision does not match the scientific temper upheld by the Constitution. All those who view science as science are against this. Why did the Central government not consider the names of A P J Abdul Kalam, Charaka, Sushrutha or Dr Palpu?” he asked.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala had written separate letters to the prime minister against the naming. Former chief minister Oommen Chandy, CPM state secretary in charge A Vijayaraghavan and KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran had also condemned the move.
‘Nothing wrong in Centre’s decision’
Palakkad: BJP state executive committee member P K Krishnadas said there is nothing wrong in the decision of the Centre to name the second campus of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) after RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar. “The chief minister says that only stalwarts in the respective areas should be considered for naming campuses. Golwalkar had an MSc degree and was a nationalist. We did not oppose the naming of the EMS stadium in Kozhikode and E K Nayanar football academy in Kasaragod,” he said.