New Delhi, January 2, 2025 — The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Indian National Congress, recently issued an appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the naming of a new college in Delhi University (DU).
Currently named after Veer Savarkar, the NSUI proposes that it honor ex Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 on December 26, 2024.
NSUI’s Appeal and Rationale
In their missive to the Prime Minister, the NSUI underscored Dr. Singh’s monumental contribution to India’s educational landscape. They highlighted how instrumental he was in establishing premier institutions like IITs, IIMs, AIIMs, and various central universities.
The student body supported naming the new college after Dr. Singh as a fitting way to honor his legacy and set an example for generations to come.
The NSUI’s letter outlined three specific demands:
Renaming the New DU College: If the college is to be named after Veer Savarkar, the NSUI preferred that it would, more suitably, honor Dr. Manmohan Singh.
- Establishment of a Central University: In Dr. Singh’s name, a central university is planned as a planned tribute to his commitment to higher education.
- Inclusion in Academic Curricula: Dr. Singh’s life—his journey from a student after Partition to a globally revered icon—should be incorporated in academic curricula to educate and inspire students across the length and breadth of India.
- NSUI National President Varun Choudhary said, “An institution named after Dr. Singh would send a very apt message about resilience, merit, and commitment to nation-building that he stood for. It will inspire generations and serve as homage to his legacies and dreams.”
Official Inauguration
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Veer Savarkar College in Najafgarh and will also lay the foundation stones for the new campuses in East and West Delhi. The suggestion of naming the college after Savarkar, a controversial freedom fighter and an icon of Hindu nationalist ideology, has created considerable debate.
Further appeal regarding conferring honors on Dr. Manmohan Singh, a PM of two terms who is an eminent economist, is done by the NSUI, which aims at hopefully contributing to Indian development in economic liberalization and education.
Important economic reforms initiated during Dr. Singh’s regime helped in catapulting India into a growth mode. His educational background stands testimony to his commitment to education.
Public and Political Reactions
The NSUI’s call has made its way to political and academic quarters. Supporters say that honoring Dr. Singh would be a non-partisan recognition of his service towards the nation; critics have ridiculed it as merely a political maneuver of the Congress-affiliated student body.
As of now, there has been no official response from the Prime Minister’s office or the Ministry of Education on the NSUI’s plea. Since the opening of the college is bound to be a go, unless the authorities decide differently, the institution will bear Veer Savarkar’s name.
In effect, the said stance taken by the NSUI urges the renaming of the New Delhi University college in Dr. Manmohan Singh’s name rather than that of Veer Savarkar and adds yet another twist to the ongoing discussions about the valorization of historical figures in India.
It supplements and accentuates the larger argument surrounding how the nation goes about honoring its leaders and the values they symbolize.
