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As "Georgians" step up their movement to restore the prestige of the 98-year-old King George's Medical College, India Today's Farzand Ahmed looks at the penchant of politicians for renaming districts and institutions in Uttar Pradesh.

Indeed, they first succumbed before Mayawati meekly and surrendered their prestigious tag. Now they want Mulayam Singh Yadav to help them get it back. So one morning recently, a delegation of International Association of KGMC Alumni (IAKGMCA) met the chief minister with a plea to restore the prestige and identity of the world-famed institution, which was renamed as Chatrapati Sahuji Maharaj Medical University. Here is how Mulayam and the doctors discussed the issue:

Doctor: Sir, please the save the prestige and identity of KGMC. The previous (Mayawati) government had tried to destroy its identity and history by changing its name..

Mulayam: Where were you when its name was being changed? Is it not a fact that some of you were clapping when Mayawati was playing with its history.

Doctors: Yes Sir. The fact is everybody was afraid of bahenji. Nobody had the courage to stand up and protest.

Mulayam: Who was she?

Doctor: The chief minister.

Mulayam: Who am I?

Doctor: The chief minister.

Mulayam: Were you afraid of POTA? POTA was used against me too. It's strange that being doctors you did not dare open your mouth against one chief minister but now want another chief minister to undo the injustice. Had you hit the streets against injustice, we would have been with you. I fail to understand why the intellectuals in Lucknow have become lifeless. Is it a city of deaf and dumb?

Doctors: Sir.

CALL IT Mulayam's straight talks or his style of slapping the intellectuals, who through their laidback attitude have turned Lucknow into a city of deaf and dumb but he exposed everyone. If Mulayam's lords were harsh there was helplessness in the voice of Dr O.P. Singh, the pro Vice-chancellor of CSMMU, who said: "The KGMC will turn 100 in 2005. If its name is not restored, whose centenary would we be celebrating?

Mulayam was moved and assured that his government would look into the matter seriously. He, however, asked them to have a spine. The doctors' appeal in fact coincided with the government decision through which it scrapped the new district called Chatrapati Sahuji Maharaj Nagar, which had cannibalized Amethi (represented by Sonia Gandhi) and neighbouring constituencies, identified with the Nehru-Gandhi family. The new district was created out of Sultanpur district. Thus Amethi, Jagdishpur and Gauriganj were restored on the political map of Uttar Pradesh.

In fact Mayawati had tried to destroy the political identity of Amethi the way she had tried to destroy the history of KGMC. Mayawati had created 14 new districts and renamed nearly 260 places and institutions during her recent as well as previous tenure.

In an overnight drive Mayawati had converted KGMC into a medical university in September 2002 but before doctors and students who are known world over as "Georgians" could celebrate it the shock came as in its new avatar KGMC became Chatrapati Sahuji Maharaj Medical University.

They were told to accept the new name or face the consequences.
Dr Singh said Mayawati wanted to set up a Rs 900 crore Chatrapati Sahuji Maharaj Post-graduate Institute of Medical Science at Varanasi and went to Kolhapur to lay its foundation stone with fanfare. But as soon as she came back her aides advised her to rename KGMC to create a university. She was pleased and quickly sanctioned Rs 15 crore to develop infrastructure for super-specialties. History was gone.

KGMC is part of Lucknow's history. In 1870, the Maharaja of Vijaynagram was the first to think of having a medical college in the city of Nawabs and offered Rs 3 lakh. But the Raj did not accept this as more funds were needed. However to make the visit of Prince of Wales to India in 1905 a memorable event, the Raja of Jahangirabad and Sir Tassaduq Rasool persuaded the Raja of Ayodhya to prevail upon Sir James LaTouche, the Lt. Governor of United Province to recommend to theGovernor of India the setting up of a medical college.

The government agreed with a condition that the people of United Province must raise at least Rs 8 lakh for this. With the active involvement of the rajas and nawabs the required funds were arranged and the Prince of Wales laid its foundation on December 26, 1905. Sir Swinton Jacob, the famous architect, designed the complex in Indo-Saracenic style that was later described as "the best in the east". However the college was formally opened when King George V and Queen Mary visited India in October 1911.

Said Association General Secretary Dr S.D. Pandey, "In one thoughtless action the government had tried to erase its glorious history and identity." It is not only the KGMC but Mulayam has also initiated moves to scrap 14 new districts, which were created without going into its financial and administrative implications. Each new district required Rs 250 crore for infrastructure and Rs 50 crore as recurring expenses annually. But it's easier said than done because the Government has to consider the serious sociopolitical consequences before scrapping the districts created by Mayawati. And that is Mulayam's dilemma.

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