
The decision to rename Dyal Singh (Evening) College name to VandeMataram Mahavidyalaya has been put on hold, the government said Tuesday.
"We must ensure anyone's sentiments are not hurt," Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said.
The announcement came after Akali Dal MP Narendra Gujral raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
Gujral said the renaming of the college is a direct assault on the feelings of Sikhs.
He added that the renaming should be condemned.
To which Javadekar replied that the decision was not the central government's, nor does the government like the name change, and it was therefore on hold.
The managing committee of Dyal Singh (Evening) College had recently announced the name changeto Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya.
The name Dyal Singh comes from the college's founder.
Dyal Singh Majithiaalso founded The Tribune newspaper and Punjab National Bank.
Majithia willed his estate to the foundation of an educational trust for the setting up of a secular college, leading to the setting up of a Dyal Singh College in Delhi and Karnal.
There is also a Dyal Singh College in Lahore, Pakistan.