Row Over Telangana University Renaming Proposal
The Telangana government’s move to rename Telangana University after late MLA J. Eshwari Bai.
Nizamabad: The state government’s proposal to rename Telangana University as J. Eshwari Bai Telangana University has drawn mixed responses. While senior Congress leaders, including transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar and former minister J. Geeta Reddy, support the change to honour the late MLA J. Eshwari Bai, several student unions have objected. The protesters staged demonstrations and submitted a memorandum to university authorities, expressing concern that the renaming might undermine the “Telangana” identity.
Telangana University was established in 2006 in Nizamabad during the Congress regime, amid strong demands for separate statehood for Telangana. The university’s name was chosen to reflect these aspirations, paralleling Andhra University in Visakhapatnam during the united Andhra Pradesh era.
J. Eshwari Bai, who served as an MLA from Yellareddy Assembly constituency between 1967 and 1978 and held the position of vice-president of the Telangana Praja Samiti (TPS), played a significant role in advocating for a separate Telangana identity. The proposal to add her name to the university follows the model of Sri Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, aiming to honour her legacy.
Telangana State Higher Education Council has already moved a proposal, and university vice-chancellor Yadagiri Rao confirmed that a detailed report has been submitted to the government. Yadagiri Rao acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue and stressed that more coordination with student unions and local representatives in the undivided Nizamabad district would have been beneficial before proposing.
