Sat Jan 04 20:05:01 UTC 2025: ## Union Minister Defends Savarkar College Naming, Criticizes Opponents’ “Colonial Mindset”
**New Delhi, January 5, 2025** – Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan defended the decision to name a new Delhi University college after Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar, dismissing criticism as stemming from a “colonial mindset.” The controversy erupted after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stone for the Veer Savarkar College on Friday.
Mr. Pradhan, speaking at a University of Delhi Foundation event, stated that the BJP’s intention is not to rewrite history, but to present “all its aspects.” He expressed confidence that the university would foster a balanced discussion of history. He further praised Savarkar as a “great nationalist.”
The naming decision has drawn opposition from student groups, including the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), which suggested naming the college after former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), which proposed social reformer Savitribai Phule.
The event also saw the distribution of laptops to women and visually impaired beneficiaries by Mr. Pradhan and BJP Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari.
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