The Communist Party of India (CPI) has expressed strong concerns and opposition to the proposed bill granting permission for private universities in Kerala. The issue was raised during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday when the draft bill came up for discussion.
Agriculture Minister P Prasad, following CPI leadership’s directive, demanded further deliberation and study before proceeding with the bill.
Higher Education Minister R Bindu was absent from the meeting, and in light of this, the cabinet decided to postpone the bill for further discussion. Health Minister Veena George reportedly raised technical concerns regarding the structure of private universities.
The CPI(M) had earlier taken a political decision to approve private universities, setting aside previous objections.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had presented a policy document supporting private universities at a meeting in Ernakulam, followed by discussions within the Left Democratic Front (LDF). However, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had opposed the move in an earlier LDF meeting.
Meanwhile, the opposition mocked the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the CPI(M)’s student wing, reminding them of an incident where SFI activists had slapped Higher Education Council Vice Chairman TP Srinivasan during protests against private universities during the previous United Democratic Front (UDF) government’s tenure.
The All India Youth Federation (AIYF), the student wing of the CPI, has announced that it will stage protests if private universities are permitted to operate in Kerala.