Controversy Over Renaming of Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University
Hyderabad, 17 March – (www.deccanlive.com): The name of the famous Potti Sriramulu Telugu University is set to change soon. The Telangana government has decided to rename it after Suravaram Pratap Reddy, a well-known Telangana poet. On March 15, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy introduced a bill in the Assembly to amend the Telugu University Act. The bill was approved by the Cabinet. This decision was made earlier in a September 20 Cabinet meeting, and now the Assembly has passed it. Since the state has been separate for 10 years, the government decided to allow only Telangana students to join the university from this academic year.
Opposition to Name Change
Many people are angry about removing Potti Sriramulu’s name from the university. During a celebration in Karimnagar, BJP leader Bandi Sanjay honored Sriramulu and questioned why the government wants to remove his name. He said that Suravaram Pratap Reddy is respected for his work in the Telugu language, but removing Sriramulu’s name is disrespectful. He also criticized the Congress government, asking if they would change the names of NTR Park, Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Park, or Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy Stadium. Several Arya Vysya community leaders also protested and gave a petition to Bandi Sanjay against the name change.
Who is Suravaram Pratap Reddy?
Suravaram Pratap Reddy was born on May 28, 1896, in Jogulamba Gadwal district. He studied law at Madras Presidency College and was a multi-talented personality. In 1952, he was elected as an MLA from Vanaparthi Assembly Constituency under the Congress party. He passed away on August 25, 1953. His book, “Andhrula Samghika Charitra” (Social History of Andhra People), won the Sahitya Academy Award in 1955.
