Congress, BJP, AIMIM lock horns over renaming of Telugu University

Soon after the bill was introduced, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy defended the government's decision

Hyderabad: The Telangana Assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Monday after the State government introduced the Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University Bill 2025, renaming it after Telangana freedom fighter and writer Suravaram Pratapa Reddy. The bill was passed by a voice vote despite strong opposition from the BJP.

Soon after the bill was introduced, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy defended the government’s decision. The move comes after Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay accused the State government of undermining the Arya Vaishya community by replacing the name of Potti Sreeramulu, who hailed from the community. However, without directly naming Sanjay, Revanth Reddy urged leaders in responsible positions to refrain from dividing people along caste or religious lines.

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The Chief Minister argued that the renaming was an administrative necessity, citing similar instances where Andhra Pradesh-based institutions and departments were renamed post-bifurcation. “If Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Dr YSR Horticultural University and Venkateswara Veterinary University, among others could be renamed in Telangana, why is there an objection when Telangana honours its own icons?” he asked, stating most universities had retained their name in Andhra Pradesh and the renaming of these universities and institutions in Telangana was to avoid unnecessary confusion.

However, BJP floor leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy countered the decision, proposing that Osmania University be renamed after Suravaram Pratapa Reddy instead. He also claimed that the Centre had only named a section of the Sardar Patel Stadium after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not the entire stadium, in response to the Chief Minister’s remarks.

AIMIM MLA Ahmed Bin Balala also raised objections to Maheshwar Reddy’s argument, questioning why no institution in Telangana had been named after the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, despite his contributions for the State’s development and welfare of its people. CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Reddy supported the renaming, pointing out Pratapa Reddy’s contributions to Telangana’s literary and freedom movements.

Amid the charged discussions, the Assembly also saw other key announcements. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy proposed renaming the newly built Cherlapalli railway terminal after Potti Sreeramulu and the Balkampet Nature Cure Hospital after former CM Konijeti Rosaiah, with a statue to be installed in his honour.