Congress MLAs accuses Haryana govt of trying to control academic institutions

The Haryana Congress on Tuesday accused the BJP-led state government of trying to control the academic institutions and imposing their party ideology

The Haryana Congress on Tuesday accused the BJP-led state government of trying to control the academic institutions and imposing their party ideology.

The Congress leaders said such measures were in contravention of the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations and the National Education Policy. (IStock)

Three Congress MLAs, Bharat Bhushan Batra, Aftab Ahmed and Geeta Bhukkal, in a statement, said the state government’s decision to amend statutes and service rules of the universities to dilute their powers of recruitment will undermine the autonomy of the institutions.

“Such authoritarian orders will defeat the purpose for which universities were developed to impart higher education. The universities have the ability and expertise to appoint teaching and non-teaching staff,” the Congress MLAs said.

“But the recent decision is an attempt to control the academic institutions and impose the ideology of the ruling party. The BJP-led government wants to suppress every democratic voice of criticism by appointing inferior academicians,” they added.

The Congress leaders said such measures were in contravention of the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations and the National Education Policy.

“While the National Education Policy 2020 advocated autonomy of educational institutions, such decisions of the state government will create hurdles in growth of the universities,” the MLAs said.