Thu Jan 02 15:35:00 UTC 2025: ## Savarkar College Sparks Protest as Congress Demands Manmohan Singh Memorial Instead
**New Delhi** – The upcoming foundation laying ceremony for the Veer Savarkar College has ignited a fierce political battle. The Congress party and its student wing, the NSUI, are vehemently protesting the naming of the college after the right-wing ideologue V.D. Savarkar, demanding instead that it be named after the late former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
The NSUI has formally requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to name a world-class Delhi University college, a central university, and to incorporate Dr. Singh’s life story into academic curricula. They lauded Dr. Singh’s legacy as a symbol of resilience and public service, arguing that honoring him in this way would inspire future generations.
Congress further criticized the choice of Savarkar, questioning his status as a freedom fighter and suggesting numerous other deserving candidates. Congress MP Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain stated that naming the college after a freedom fighter would be a fitting tribute, accusing the BJP of promoting figures who supported the British Raj due to a lack of their own suitable figures.
The BJP, however, countered these criticisms, highlighting the government’s allocation of land for Dr. Singh’s memorial and PM Modi’s attendance at his cremation. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s absence from the cremation and questioned the party’s sincerity in their show of respect for Dr. Singh.
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the new, state-of-the-art Veer Savarkar College tomorrow in Najafgarh, with additional academic blocks planned for East Delhi and Dwarka. The clash over the college’s name underscores the deep political divide surrounding Savarkar’s legacy and continues the post-cremation debate surrounding the level of respect shown to Dr. Manmohan Singh.
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