Bhubaneswar: On suggestion to rename the Ravenshaw University that sparked a political row last year, Odisha Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj cleared the air today. 

"No proposal for renaming the Ravenshaw University in Cuttack is currently under the consideration of the state government," the Minister stated in a reply to BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain in Assembly. 

A controversy broke out last year after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan suggested to change name of the 156-year-old university. 

"There is a need to change name of Ravenshaw University. What did Ravenshaw, after whom the university is named, do during famine," the Minister asked at a programme in Cuttack. 

This sparked protests on the streets and opposition parties demanded an apology from him.