Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.The much-talked Uttar Pradesh Private Universities Bill, 2019, as well as Uttar Pradesh State University (Amendment Bill), 2019, seeking to change the name of Allahabad State University to Prof Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya) University, were passed by voice vote in the state Assembly Thursday.
However, the Opposition protested over a clause in the Uttar Pradesh Private Universities Bill that compels the institutes to provide an undertaking that they will not allow any “anti-national” activity on the campus and demanded to send both the Bills to a select committee.
Seeking to send the UP State University (Amendment) Bill to a select committee, SP legislator Sanjay Garg said that changing the name of a university after a person, associated with a particular ideology, raises a question.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna, however, said that Rajendra Singh was a educationist and had contributed in different fields. “Had he not been a social worker, he would have been a big scientist. There is nothing wrong in renaming the university after him,” he said.
Regarding the UP Private Universities Bill, the SP alleged that it was aimed at reducing the independence of the private varsities and that it was aimed at maligning the image of a particular university, with which “the ruling BJP seems to have a problem”.
The Bill aims at bringing 27 private universities in the state under an umbrella law and enforce transparency on fees and admission process.
SP MLA Ujjawal Raman Singh said the section on anti-national activities had created suspicion that the Bill is aimed against a particular university.
There were some heated exchanges when Singh referred to the Jawaharlal Nehru University row in 2016 over slogan-shouting by some student protesters.
The Bill, tabled in the House on Tuesday, demands an undertaking from the sponsors of private universities that their institutions will not be involved in or permit anyone to promote anti-national activities.
Singh said this and some other sections of the Bill needed to be looked into and argued that there was no urgency to pass it on Thursday itself.
In his reply, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Khanna said the aim of the Bill is to provide quality education while upholding the autonomy of the institutions.
He assured the Opposition that the government had no wrong intention in bringing the Bill. The minister also referred to its section that said the right of religious and linguistic minorities, enshrined in Article 30 of the Constitution, to set up their own educational institutions remains intact.
Once the legislation is in place, private universities will award honorary degrees to people in public life only with the state government’s approval.
A statement on the objectives of the Bill said 27 private universities were established and incorporated under different state Acts in Uttar Pradesh.
This meant there was no uniform law to monitor such private universities, it added.
Under the new law, at least 75 per cent of teachers in each department will have to be the university’s regular employees.
The private universities will also conform to the standards specified by central regulatory bodies like the University Grants Commission. The private universities will comply with the norms set up by the state government on a common academic calendar, anti-copying measures, examinations and award of degrees and certificates. —With PTI inputs
