Uttar Pradesh assembly meets to finish leftover agenda
May 9, 2007 - 5:00:49 PM
|
|
|
'Our main emphasis will be on providing quality education that would match international standards,' said Khan, who claimed to have offered the seed capital from his personal resources.
|
By IANS,
[RxPG] Lucknow, May 9 - The Uttar Pradesh assembly met Wednesday just four days before its term expires in a desperate move by the Samajwadi Party to grant minority status to a university.
The last time such a thing happened was in 1957 when the house met to seek a vote on account. But today, it was to give minority status to Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan's dream project - the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in his hometown Rampur.
'It was way back in 1957 that the UP house witnessed a similar meet exactly three days before expiry of the term of the second assembly,' Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey told IANS.
With the marathon seven-phase elections having concluded Tuesday and results expected Friday, the ruling Samajwadi Party called a session that was not attended by opposition parties.
It had a single point agenda - to bestow minority status to the university. The amending bill was passed in minutes following which the assembly was adjourned sine die.
Informed sources admitted that the objective behind the meet was 'to pass an amendment in the University Bill to grant the Jauhar university minority status'.
The amendment is aimed at insuring that only Muslims are appointed as the university's vice chancellor and pro-vice chancellor and in other key positions.
It also stipulated that complaints relating to violations of the provisions of the Jauhar University Act or against mismanagement be adjudicated only by a retired high court judge.
The earlier provision laid down 'appointment of an inquiry officer by the state government' in such cases.
'Now even if any government wants to scrap the university or make any alterations in its rules and regulations, it would require a three-fourth majority of both houses of the state legislature to do so,' said a veteran Samajwadi Party leader.
The bill for setting up the university was passed by the state on May 18, 2005 following which it was sent to Governor T.V. Rajeshwar for his assent. However, the governor raised certain queries and returned the bill twice.
Azam Khan eventually initiated fresh moves to set up the university in the private sector, for which he finally got the governor's green signal.
Envisaged as a 297-acre campus on the outskirts of Rampur city, the university will have separate colleges for engineering, medicine, dentistry, law, home sciences and vocational training as well as routine degree courses.
'Our main emphasis will be on providing quality education that would match international standards,' said Khan, who claimed to have offered the seed capital from his personal resources.
'Now we wish to insure a minority status for this university on the same lines as Aligarh Muslim University -,' added Khan.
|
Subscribe to India Politics Newsletter
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
|
Feedback
|
For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send
any medical news or health news press releases, use
feedback form
|
Top of Page
|
