Decision to rename Dyal Singh college put on hold

NEW DELHI: Renaming of Dyal Singh Evening College to Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya has been put on hold, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday after an Akali Dal leader raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha.

The decision had sparked a controversy, prompting Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral to raise the issue in parliament. Gujral had said in Rajya Sabha that “To change the name of a minority institution (Dyal Singh College) was a direct assault on the feelings of Sikhs.”

Clarifying the official stand, the HRD minister said it was not a government decision and his ministry has asked the people concerned to withhold it forthwith. “We must ensure anyone's sentiments are not hurt. Creating unnecessary controversies by playing with emotions is wrong,” Javadekar said in response to a statement from the Akali Dal leader in the Rajya Sabha.

The controversy erupted after the managing committee of the college announced to rename the evening college as Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya. The college was established in 1959 under the control of Delhi University. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in various disciplines.