In response to Communist Party of India (CPI) MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao's request, Chief Minister of Telangana, A Revanth Reddy announced that the state government is inclined to rename Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University after Suravaram Pratap Reddy, a freedom fighter from the Nizam-ruled Hyderabad state, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
During a discussion on the Bill, the CM told the Assembly to change the acronyms of state laws and related matters, the chief minister mentioned that Sambasiva Rao had written to him, reminding him of the promise made by former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to rename the university.
He further appealed to all parties in the Assembly to share their views on renaming the university.
The chief minister also highlighted the contributions of Pratap Reddy, a journalist, writer, and poet who ran the Golconda Patrika and was a vocal critic of the Nizam’s oppressive rule.
Notably, Potti Sreeramulu is regarded as Amarajeevi (immortal being) by the people of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh for his role in the formation of the Andhra state. He also undertook a 56-day hunger strike and unfortunately died in the process.
The proposal to remove Potti Sreeramulu’s name comes following the expiration of the clause in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014, which named Hyderabad as the common capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 10 years.
The opposition parties Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Communist Party of India (CPI) have expressed support for the chief minister’s proposal.
