Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati on Thursday vehemently criticised the Samajwadi Party (SP) for consistently renaming Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University as King George’s Medical University during its term in Uttar Pradesh.
She also targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of failing to reverse what she described as a casteist move.
On X, Mayawati paid tributes to Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, also referred him as the "father of reservation in India" for initiating employment quotas for Dalits in the erstwhile princely state of Kolhapur. She also highlighted several initiatives undertaken during her four terms as CM to honour Shahuji Maharaj, including the installation of statues, the establishment of memorials (musuems), and the naming of districts and educational institutions after him.
Among these efforts, Mayawati recalled the founding of Uttar Pradesh’s first Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University in Lucknow, which she said was made operational promptly by her government.
She alleged that the SP, upon regaining power, forcibly changed the name of the institution to King George’s Medical University, despite there already being a medical college by the same name in Lucknow. She condemned the move as reflective of an “extremely hateful and casteist attitude”, and criticised the BJP for not taking corrective action during its tenure.
Mayawati demanded the immediate restoration of the original name, stating that doing so would reflect a commitment to social justice and historical truth. “The earlier the original name of Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University is restored, the better,” she wrote in her post.
The naming controversy has seen multiple changes over the past two decades. Initially named King George Medical College, the institution was upgraded to university status and renamed Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University by Mayawati’s government in 2002. However, in October 2003, just two months after Mulayam Singh Yadav became Chief Minister, the SP government reverted the name to King George’s Medical University.
In 2007, following the BSP’s return to power, the name was once again changed to Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University. After the 2012 elections, the SP under Akhilesh Yadav reverted it once more to King George’s Medical University, the name under which it currently operates.
Mayawati concluded her statement by stressing the ongoing relevance of Shahuji Maharaj’s ideals in contemporary India. She warned of attempts to undermine constitutional safeguards, particularly those concerning reservations for Dalits, tribals, and other backwards communities.
“In today’s context, there is a conspiracy to render the people of the nation—especially Dalits, tribals, and other backwards classes—helpless, subjugated, and enslaved by making their constitutional right to reservation inactive and ineffective,” she added.
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