Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy announced that the Government Nature Cure Hospital in Balkampet will be named after former finance minister Konijeti Rosaiah and his statue will be installed at the location.
He also proposed to name the new railway terminal built in Cherlapalli after freedom fighter Potti Sreeramulu.
The decision comes after Union minister of state for home affairs Bandi Sanjay had criticised the state government for renaming Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University in Hyderabad after Telangana freedom fighter Suravaram Prathapa Reddy.
Bandi Sanjay had accused the chief minister of looking down on the Arya Vaishya caste by his move to rename the university, as Potti Sreeramulu belonged to the Arya Vaishya community.
Without naming Union minister of state for home affairs Bandi Sanjay’s name in the Assembly, chief minister A Revanth Reddy urged “people in responsible positions” not to divide the people on the basis of caste, and also appealed to all the members to prevent any such attempts.
He said that proposing the name of Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University was being done to prevent any hassles that may arise in the administration, if the name of the university was not changed, as the same university would continue with the same name in Andhra Pradesh too.
Revanth Reddy said that whether it was Acharya Dr NG Ranga Agricultural University, Dr YSR Horticultural University, or Venkateshwara Veterinary University, universities have been renamed to enable hassle-free administration, as well as to remember the freedom fights.
He also reminded that even departments like APSRTC, APIIC, or APPSC, have been renamed as TGSRTC, TGIIC and TGPSC.
“It was Suravaram Prathapa Reddy who made 364 Telangana poets come together, compiled Golconda paper within 6 months. He led the Telangana armed struggle against the Nizam’s rule,” he reminded.
He questioned why the Centre has renamed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, as Narendra Modi stadium in that case.
BJP floor leader A Maheshwar Reddy, who argued against renaming Telugu University, said that only the ground inside that stadium was named after Modi, and the stadium’s name still remained the same. He advised the state government to rename Osmania University if they wanted to.
Another BJP MLA claimed that the university wasn’t continuing with Potti Sreeramulu’s name in AP presently.
Malakpet AIMIM MLA Ahmed Bin Balala lodged his protest by reminding that the no institution was being named after the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, despite him being the first governor of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
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CPI Kothagudem MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Reddy said that it was not good on part of the members to fight in the name of caste and religion.
He told the house that it was Suravaram Prathapa Reddy who was treated as the first torch-bearer of Telangana, and also reminded that among 5,000 freedom fighters who were killed during the fight against the erstwhile Hyderabad State ruled by the Nizam, 99 percent were communists.
He also showed the new clipping that AP government has already announced continuing with the previous name for Telugu University.
The Bill for renaming the Telugu University as Suravaram Prathapa Reddy Telugu University was passed amid a voice vote in the Assembly.
