By D Raja
The reported move to change the name of Barkatullah University in Bhopal is yet another manifestation of the RSS-BJP’s contempt for India’s freedom struggle and the heroes who dedicated their lives to the liberation of our country. Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali was not merely a son of Bhopal, he was one of the foremost international revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement, a leader of the Ghadar movement, Prime Minister of the First Provisional Government of India in Kabul, an uncompromising opponent of British imperialism and a staunch supporter of the October Socialist Revolution in Russia and Lenin.
Barkatullah Bhopali worked with the leading international revolutionaries of his time like Raja Mahendra Pratap and Shayamji Krishna Verma and his legacy belongs not to any one community but to the entire nation. It is hardly surprising that those whose ideological predecessors played no role in the freedom struggle find themselves uncomfortable with the memory of genuine anti-colonial patriots.
We strongly oppose the move to erase the name of a distinguished freedom fighter. Renaming institutions does not create educational opportunities, improve learning outcomes or strengthen universities. It only reveals the RSS’ narrow political agenda that seeks to rewrite history and replace icons of the national movement.
The priorities of the BJP government stand exposed. At a time when the education sector is reeling under paper leaks, examination irregularities, privatisation, corruption, shortage of teachers and the continuing closure and merger of rural schools, the MP government is investing its energy in divisive and communal exercises such as changing the name of Barkatullah University. The people of Madhya Pradesh expect the government to improve educational infrastructure, protect public education and ensure that every child has access to quality schooling. Instead of targeting the legacy of a great freedom fighter, the government should focus on addressing the deepening crisis in education and stop using history as a tool for communal polarisation.
D Raja is General Secretary, Communist Party of India