Bhubaneswar: Odisha Congress Wednesday said that they are opposed to the changes in the legislation relating to functioning of universities in the state and would oppose it in the Assembly.
Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati Wednesday said, “The decision taken by the government on amending the Odisha Universities Act is not at all in favour of students and academics at large. Educational institutions like universities are sacred places and should be free from interference.”
He also said that the government wanted to control universities and termed it as a ‘political move’.
“This is a political move to interfere in the university administration. We demand that the bill should be withdrawn and whatever process was happening earlier should continue. The IAS officers in the state government have now eyed universities where they are exerting their power and interfere through such a bill.”
He said that such reasons are behind the amendments to the earlier legislation and bring a new system which can allow the government more teeth.
“We will definitely take up the matter in the Assembly and question the government on the issue. We cannot allow this. We are strongly opposing this move of amendment of the earlier legislation. This can heavily impact the autonomy of the universities in the state.”
Earlier the State Cabinet had passed the proposal of doing away with multiple legislations of universities and decided to use a single legislation to government and administer the universities in the state. It also talked about other aspects of administration like recruitment, service period of Vice Chancellors and others.