Manish Gupta
Ranchi, May 9: A decision by the Jharkhand cabinet to rename Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University in Ranchi as Veer Buddhu Bhagat University has triggered a political backlash, with opposition leaders criticising the move and the ruling coalition defending it.
The name change follows sustained demands by several student groups to honour tribal freedom fighter Veer Buddhu Bhagat, who died resisting British colonial forces in 1832. The decision has drawn sharp reactions across the political spectrum.
Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Babulal Marandi, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, called the move a “wrong tradition” and urged the government to reverse the decision.
“This neither honours Shyama Prasad Mukherjee nor gives proper respect to the sacrifice of Veer Buddhu Bhagat,” Marandi said. “If the government truly wished to honour Bhagat, it should have established a new university in his name.”
Jharkhand Higher Education Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu defended the renaming, saying it appropriately recognises Bhagat’s role in India’s early resistance to British rule.
“Jharkhand must honour its heroes,” he said, rejecting Marandi’s criticism. “Naming institutions after those who have sacrificed for the state is absolutely justified.”
Congress leader and state minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey also welcomed the change, crediting the decision to long-standing public sentiment and demands from tribal communities. Tirkey, who holds the agriculture, animal husbandry and cooperative portfolio, said she had raised the issue during the state assembly’s winter session in 2024.
“This is a long-pending demand of Jharkhand’s tribal society, and it will strengthen the pride and self-respect of the community,” she said.
Veer Buddhu Bhagat is considered a key figure in the Kol rebellion, an Adivasi uprising in the early 19th century.
