"Decision to name RGCB's second campus after Golwalkar

This was an attempt to divert the peoples attention from the Left Democratic Front governments development and welfare activities during the crucial local body polls, he said and demanded to know what had been Golwalkars contribution towards the growth and development of science.During the freedom struggle, the stand the RSS leader took was not to confront the British, but that it was the duty of the RSS to fight for religion, the Chief Minister alleged.

irrational, done for political gains'' Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 12 (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the Centre's decision to name the second campus of the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Bio Technology here after RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar, saying the move was ''irrational'' and for political gains. Vijayan had recently written to Union Health and Science and Technology minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, urging him to instead name the institute after some eminent Indian scientist of international repute.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Chief Minister lashed out at the Union government, alleging that by proposing the name of Golwalkar, the aim was to use the central research institution for political gains. This was an attempt to divert the people's attention from the Left Democratic Front government's development and welfare activities during the crucial local body polls, he said and demanded to know what had been Golwalkar's contribution towards the growth and development of science.

During the freedom struggle, the stand the RSS leader took was not to confront the British, but that it was the duty of the RSS to fight for religion, the Chief Minister alleged. ''Till 1973, he was RSS sarsanga chalak. But never even once did he unfurl the national flag at the RSS headquarters during Independence Day,'' Vijayan said.

Pointing out that Golwalkar was critical of democracy as it gave powers to people more than that whatwas necessary, he said the RSS leader was also a proponent of Manu Smriti, which he felt should have been India's Constitution. ''He also tried to strengthen the caste system and opposed reservation.'' The minorities and Communists were considered the ''internal enemies'' of the nation and Golwalkar felt they should be destroyed, Vijayan said in the post.

The Union Government should at least think how it would affect the country's reputation if a scientific institution for human goodness is named after a person who had stood ''as an advocate of unscientific, inhumanand uncivilised principles'', he said and urged that the move be dropped in the interest of the nation As RGCB is ''Kerala's child'', any decision with regard to its name should be finalised, taking into account the state's views, Vijayan said. ''That's democratic norms.

Those in positions of power,mandated by the Constitution, must act in accordance with the essence of the Constitution. That is essential for the progress of the country,'' the chief minister said.

The ruling Left and the opposition Congress had attacked the BJP, alleging it was communalising everything and questioned the contribution of the RSS leader to the field of science. Vardhan, who is also the minister of science and technology, had announced on December 4 that the second campus of RGCB would be named Shri Guruji Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar National Centre for Complex Disease in Cancer and Viral Infection.

He stated this at a curtain raiser session of the sixth edition of India International Science Festival (IISF) scheduled for December 22-25, held online and organised by RGCB..