Andhra Pradesh govt rescinds order to rename Abdul Kalam award after Jagan Mohan Reddy's father amid criticism from BJP, TDP

Following an outpouring of criticism by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Opposition leaders, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday rescinded the state government’s order to rename the ‘APJ Abdul Kalam Pratibha Puraskar Awards’ after his father YSR Reddy, ANI reported. An order issued Monday stated that the award, to be conferred upon meritorious Class 10 students, be named ‘YSR Vidya Puraskar’. The award is presented on 11 November, which is celebrated as National Education Day, on the eve of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s birth anniversary.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has ordered to immediately cancel the concerned GO (Government Order). He further ordered to reinstate the name of 'Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Pratibha Puraskar Awards'. https://t.co/JVGCx3eA2L

— ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2019

Andhra BJP spokesperson Dinakar Lanka said the move was an insult to Kalam and the shows the state government’s arrogance. “It is the best example of how the names of the nation’s real heroes are suppressed and replaced with those of the kith and kin of people from dynasty politics,” he told News18. Hitting out at Congress indirectly, a party which Jagan Mohan Reddy had left to float the YSR Congress after his father’s death, senior BJP leader Amit Malaviya said, “It is not surprising that Jagan thinks his late father was a more accomplished scientist and academic than Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. After all he comes from a party, which named every award, scheme, stadium, road, airport after members of the Nehru-Gandhi family.” Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu called the renaming of the award a “shocking method of self-aggrandisement”.

Dr. Kalam has accomplished much for the nation with his inspiring life. @ysjagan’s govt changing “APJ Abdul Kalam Pratibha Puraskar” to “YSR Vidya Puraskar” is a shocking method of self-aggrandizement at the cost of disrespecting a much venerated man. #YSRCPInsultsAbdulKalam pic.twitter.com/7lPaZddNZF

— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) November 5, 2019

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The award was earlier known as ‘Prathibha Awards’, but the name was changed to honour former president and ‘missile man of India’ Kalam by the Chandrababu Naidu government in 2017.