Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik took a swipe at his former party colleague and the sitting BJP MP from Cuttack, Bhartruhari Mahtab, for his write-up arguing that there was nothing wrong in the demand for renaming the iconic Ravenshaw College, Cuttack.

He also came down heavily on BJP leaders who are demanding the renaming of Ravenshaw College, (converted into a university in 2006).

What pained Naveen is that, in his article, Mahtab painted the then-Mayurbhanj Maharaja of the 1870s Krushna Chandra Bhanja Deo poorly and tried to distort history. Without naming Mahtab and others, Naveen tweeted that leaders have started writing new history in the euphoria of temporary success.

Mahtab, in his family-owned paper The Prajatantra, wrote two articles under the caption “History is Too Cruel” on the controversy surrounding the renaming of Ravenshaw College. He argued that Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan had done nothing wrong by offering his views on renaming the college. He also pointed out how Thomas Edward Ravenshaw had failed as an administrator, and around 30 lakh people fell victim to the 1866 famine.

He also questioned the intention of the then Mayurbhanj Maharaja’s demand that Cuttack School be named after Ravenshaw, the Commissioner of Cuttack Division at the time. It was renamed Ravenshaw College in 1878 after Ravenshaw left Odisha.

Mahtab cited that Mayurbhanj Maharaja was in favour of renaming the Cuttack school as Ravenshaw only to garner British support as he wanted the Bamanghati division, a part of Mayurbhanj, to remain out of British control and remained with the Mayurbhanj province only. He also questioned Mayurbhanj Maharaja’s attempt to acquire the Keonjhar Gadajata (estate). He argued that renaming Ravenshaw and getting rid of the colonial hangover would not bring any disaster.

Many leaders questioned the role of Vyasa Kabi Fakir Mohan Senapati, a pioneer in Odia literature. All this did not go down well with Naveen.

Without naming Mahtab and other BJP leaders, Naveen tweeted, “Is it all Odia Asmita (Pride)? It is the moral duty of the nation to respect and be grateful to the great men. Institutions of excellence are built by the sacrifice, dedication, and vision of these great men are the indelible achievements of the nation.”
He also mentioned how Fakir Mohan Senapati had a unique contribution for the overall development of Odia literature.
Naveen continued, “Everyone knows the contribution of the Mayurbhanj royal family in the overall development of Odisha. Their contributions in the fields of literature, education, health, culture etc. are immense. Some people are trying to distort history.”