Controversy Over Renaming IRMA

The renaming of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) to Tribhuvan Sahkari University has sparked a heated debate, with critics arguing that the move sidelines the legacy of Dr Verghese Kurien, the pioneer of India’s White Revolution.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sagarika Ghose voiced her discontent, questioning the omission of Kurien’s name from the announcement. “Astonishing: a huge ad on the renaming of IRMA as Tribhuvan Sahkari University but not a single word about the great visionary who set up the institution, the AMUL man and indeed the father of India’s Milk Revolution, Dr Verghese Kurien. Rewriting history: Modi-Shah style?” she wrote.

The advertisement, published in newspapers, highlighted the role of Tribhuvandas Patel, Amul’s founding chairman, in championing cooperatives, but made no mention of Kurien, the man widely credited with transforming India from a milk-deficient country to the world’s largest producer.

The ad acknowledged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah for passing the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill 2025 in the Lok Sabha, recognising the institution as a National Importance. It celebrated the cooperative model’s success, citing Gujarat’s 36 lakh farmers and Amul’s rise as the world’s largest farmer-owned dairy cooperative.

Critics argue that erasing Kurien’s name from the announcement is a deliberate attempt to downplay his contributions. Kurien founded IRMA in 1979 to train professionals in rural management and cooperative models, a vision that played a key role in India’s agricultural transformation. His legacy was further honoured in 2015, when IRMA launched the Verghese Kurien Centre of Excellence (VKCoE) to advance cooperative research.

Kurien’s work has been globally recognised, and 26th November, his birthday, is celebrated as National Milk Day. Many see the renaming of IRMA without acknowledging him as an injustice to his contributions to India’s dairy industry and rural economy.