THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While the ruling LDF and opposition Congress in Kerala flayed the Centre's decision to name the second campus of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology here after late RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday urged Union Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, to reconsider the decision to name the new campus after Golwalkar and instead name it after some eminent Indian scientist of International repute.

The institute is a premier research institution and has been above political divides, Vijayan said in a letter to the union minister. The RGCB, which was initially run by the state government, was handed over to the Union Government with the aim of developing it into a Centre of International standards in research and development.

Keeping this in view, the state government is of the opinion that the campus should be named after some eminent Indian scientist of International repute instead of the proposed name, he said. "I request you to reconsider the decision, if it has already been taken, or not to contemplate such a decision, if already not taken. I hope that your Ministry will consider favourably our proposal to name the new campus after an eminent Indian scientist. This will keep up the reputation of the institution and help avoid controversies in the public domain," Vijayan said.