BJP should create better, bigger varsity in Vivekananda's name instead of renaming JNU: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday said the NDA government should create a new, bigger and better university in the name of Swami Vivekananda instead of renaming the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in the national capital.

Senior Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken said it is not proper on the BJP's part to change the name of an existing university and it should instead set an example of creating a good new varsity.

"We do not believe in changing names of existing varsities by replacing one name with another icon's name. It would be better if the BJP creates a new university in the name of Swami Vivekananda, which should be good and bigger than the JNU. Renaming an existing university is not development," he told reporters when asked about the row.

BJP general secretary CT Ravi had suggested renaming the JNU in Delhi after Swami Vivekananda.

The varsity had seen a row erupt in the campus after Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually unveiled a life-sized statue of Swami Vivekananda at the JNU campus last Thursday, with students lodging their protests.

In November 2019, the JNU administration had filed a police complaint saying the statue, which was covered by a saffron veil, had allegedly been defaced and messages were written

"targeting a political party".