Rename Potti Sriramulu Telugu varsity: Cong

Hanamkonda: The city Congress leaders have demanded the State government renaming of Potti Sriramulu Telugu University with immediate effect. They staged a dharna on the premises of the University’s Warangal Centre for Folk and Tribal lore (Janapada Girijana Vignanapeetham) in Hanamkonda on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, the city Congress working president Rajanala Srihari wanted the University rechristened after Sammakka-Saralamma or former premier late PV Narasimha Rao. He expressed displeasure over calling the University with the name of an Andhra leader even after formation of separate Telangana.

‘Two and half years passed since the TRS government came to power and it is not able to change the name of the University,’ he complained. He demanded the government allocation of sufficient funds to the University to document and preserve the art forms in Telangana State.

The Congress leader submitted a memorandum to the University Vice- Chancellor Prof S V Satyanarayana on the occasion. In the memorandum he asked the government to lay proper road connectivity to the Kalapeetham and renovate the structure, which was in dilapidated condition.

Regular activities at the Kalapeetham should be conducted on the line of cultural programmes being held at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad. The folk artistes should be given pensions and double bed room houses, Srihari said.

Serious agitations would be staged if the above demands were not fulfilled within one month, he warned. Responding to the demands of the Congress leaders, the Vice-Chancellor said the government was making efforts to change the name of the university. TPCC secretary M Sarangapani, party leaders Ch Venkateshwarlu, Md Qayyum, Ginnarapu Raju and others were present.