Government failed to act in Sangli college dispute, says AAP

MUMBAI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the state government of siding with Prithviraj Deshmukh, president of the BJP’s Sangli unit, who is said to be involved

MUMBAI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the state government of siding with Prithviraj Deshmukh, president of the BJP’s Sangli unit, who is said to be involved in a tussle to gain control of an engineering college in Sangli.

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Walchand College of Engineering, an aided autonomous institute, is at the centre of a fight between the government-appointed academic council, which has been managing the college since 1956, and Maharashtra Technical Education Society, an educational group headed by Deshmukh which set up the college in 1947.

Preeti Sharma Menon, a spokesperson of AAP, accused education minister Vinod Tawde and the ruling BJP of conniving with Deshmukh to illegally acquire the 150 acres of college land on which college is located.

AAP has accused the government of not acting on the recommendations of a probe committee.

After the Deshmukh camp demanded appointing an ‘administrator’ for the institute, the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) constituted a committee a few months ago to check the viability of the demand.

The committee decided that there was no need of an administrator and that the academic council continue to manage the institute. The panel’s report has been sent to the state law and judiciary department.

Menon said the report was reason enough for the government to rein in Deshmukh.

DTE director SK Mahajan said: “While the report did rule in favour of the academic council, the government needs to look into legal aspect of the issue.”