Congress MLC flays extension to AKTU VC

Leader of the Congress in Legislative Council, Deepak Singh, demanded a high-level probe into the manner in which Prof Vinay Pathak was given extension as Vice-Chancellor of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) even when a case of plagiarism was underway against him in University Grants Commission (UGC).

In a letter sent to Governor Ram Naik, who is also Chancellor of state universities, Singh said that it was unfortunate that despite there being several efficient and eligible persons for the post of Vice-Chancellor of AKTU, the government chose to give extension to a person involved in plagiarism.

Demanding a probe, Singh said that the UGC had ordered a probe into research publication of Prof Vinay Pathak but the state government, without checking his credentials, gave him extension. 

Early this week, Prof Pathak was given extension for another three years as Vice-Chancellor of AKTU by the Governor.

Union Minister of State for HRD, Satya Pal Singh, had informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday in a written reply that AKTU Vice-Chancellor Prof Vinay Pathak along with Anil Kumar Upadhyaya of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeth, Varanasi were found writing fake theses for PhD.

Meanwhile, UP Congress chief Raj Babbar reiterated that a decision on Priyanka Vadra contesting parliamentary election from Rae Bareli or any other constituency would only be taken by the Gandhi family. 

“I have no information whether Priyanka will contest from Rae Bareli or anywhere else. It is for the Gandhi family to decide,” Babbar said while replying to a question. 

Babbar was in Lucknow on Saturday to welcome Ambedkar Chhatra Sabha leader Amar Singh Paswan in the Congress. 

Welcoming Paswan and his supporters in the party, Babbar said that Congress would be further strengthened in eastern UP with the joining of the new leaders. 

However, sources confirmed that Paswan joined Congress after spending some time in Bahujan Samaj Party, then Bharatiya Janata Party and lastly Samajwadi Party. He left these parties as none of them fielded him in the Assembly poll. Later, Paswan contested the 2017 Assembly election from Chauri-Chaura constituency in Gorakhpur as in Independent but could manage only over 200 votes. 

Reacting to Paswan’s joining the Congress, a senior leader of the party from eastern UP said that some leaders close to Babbar seemed to be misguiding him.

“It would have been better if Paswan’s entry into the Congress was sealed by party leaders in Gorakhpur instead of the UPCC chief. Paswan’s political stature can be gauged by the votes he could manage in the last Assembly poll,” he said.