Furore over Alliance university bill

Opposition says issue should be referred to joint select committee

Soon after the House met, the Congress and JD (S) members resumed their dharna in the House demanding that the government must allow a debate on the need for introducing the Alliance University Bill.

The issue should be referred to a joint select committee so that the issue could be discussed, they insisted. Last Friday, when the House was not in order, the House, by voice vote, passed the Alliance varsity bill along with the Azim Premji private varsity bill. This way of pushing a bill doesn’t augur well to the House, they insisted.

D K Shivakumar (Cong) said that Alliance institution is small business school which is just 10 years old. “We know that Azim Premji is a man of reputation. But we fail to understand why the government hurried through the Alliance bill. Education system can’t be allowed to stoop to this level in the State. We can’t accept this way of functioning by the government,” he said.

In the objective of the bill, the government has said that the institution belongs to a Scheduled Tribe. Can any government quote this as a reason to grant a university, he questioned.

Joining the issue, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said the government should not begin a new tradition by drawing a legislation without a debate. “How can VC be appointed for his lifetime? The government has not answered certain basic questions we raised in this regard”.

Primary Education Minister Visveshwara Hegde Kageri argued that the Opposition members, instead of debating the bill, staged dharna on Friday. The government has taken the decision as per its discretion, he said.

Chief Minister Yeddyurappa said the Centre has allowed foreign universities to come up. Azim Premji has no personal interest in setting up the varsity. “His intentions are good. The bills have already been passed. We are ready for any debate,” he said.

Later Speaker Bopaiah adjourned the House for sometime to facilitate discussion between the agitating members and the treasury benches. When the House reassembled, Higher Education Minister Aravind Limbavali said that Alliance is a prestigious institution and he is ready to furnish the details about it to the House.

“Anyhow, the government will announce its decision on the Alliance university in the legislative council,” he said. Later, the Opposition members withdrew their dharna.