Thiruvananthapuram, December 5: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday objected to the Centre's move to rename the second campus of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) after former RSS sarsangachalak MS Golwalkar. Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Kanata wrote to Union Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan requesting him to "reconsider the decision" of renaming the new campus of the RGCB. Naming of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology's New Campus in Kerala After RSS Ideologue MS Golwalkar Stirs Controversy.

The letter further stated that the state government is of the view that the campus is named after some eminent Indian scientist of international repute instead of the proposed name. Vijayan said, "The institute is a premier research institution and has been above political divides." He further added, "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 campus after an eminent Indian scientist."

Pinarayi Vijayan's Letter: 

The Centre's decision stirred controversy. Both ruling CPI-M and opposition Congress in Kerala criticised the move. Senior CPI-M politburo member and former Kerala Minister MA Baby said "the development is most unfortunate and cruel". "What is MSG's contribution to science, other than promoting the disease of communalism?" asked a peeved Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.

On Friday, Union Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan had said that he was happy to understand that this research facility would be named as 'Shri Guruji Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar National Centre for Complex Disease in Cancer and Viral Infection.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 05, 2020 09:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).