Ravenshaw University Controversy: Odisha Government Distances Itself from Dharmendra Pradhan's Statement
Odisha BJP stated that the Union education minister’s comment was directed against the colonization of higher education institutions.
Arpit Pattnaik
Odisha's deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo and higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj stated on Monday that Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan had clarified that the proposal to change the name of Ravenshaw University was his personal opinion. They also mentioned that there should be a debate on the issue. Suryavanshi further stated, "It does not hold any importance."
However, the state BJP unit defended Pradhan, saying that the Union education minister's statement was intended against the colonization of higher education institutions. State BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal added, "The BJD and Congress have either not understood what Pradhan said, or they do not have the intellectual capacity to perceive the context in which the Union minister made such a statement."
Referring to the book 'Desha Kala Patra', a historical collection of writings by renowned Odia author Jagannath Prasad Das, Biswal pointed out that the author has detailed the apathy of TE Ravenshaw, the then commissioner of Odisha division, during the famine that saw nearly three million people die.
Biswal also mentioned, "The Union education minister wanted a larger debate on the issue. When the entire country is trying to shed the colonial tag and come out of the legacy of invaders, this is the right time to give the sons of the soil, who played a significant role in the establishment of the institution, due recognition."
