“DON’T NAME INSTITUTE AFTER GOLWALKAR” – Kerela CM to Centre

Thiruvananthapuram, 6/12: Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerela has written a letter to Science and technology minister Harsh Vardhan and asked him not to rename Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) in Thiruvananthapuram under Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue MS Golwalkar.

The BJP Minister on Friday had said the second campus of RGCB would be renamed “Shri Guruji Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar National Centre for Complex Disease in Cancer and Viral Infection”, while addressing the inauguration of India International Science Festival to be held from December 22 to 25.

Vijayan in the letter said  “RGCB is an advanced research institute and “has been above political divide.”

The RGCB was initially run by the state government and was handed over to the government of India with the aim of developing it into a centre achieving international standards in research and development,” Mr Vijayan wrote in the letter. “Keeping this in view, the government of Kerala is of the opinion that the campus be named after some eminent Indian scientist of international repute instead of the proposed name,” he wrote.

“I request you to reconsider the decision, if it has already been taken, or not to contemplate such a decision, if already not taken. I hope that your ministry will consider favourably our proposal to name the new campus after an eminent Indian scientist. This will keep up the reputation of the Institution and help to avoid controversies in the public domain,” Mr Vijayan wrote.

The move has drawn criticism from various quarters. LDF convener and CPI(M) state secretary A Vijayaraghavan, Leader of opposition in the Kerala assembly, Ramesh Chennithala and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor being some of the prominent names who have shown their displeasure.