Bhopal, Sep 2 (IANS): The Opposition Congress on Wednesday opposed the Madhya Pradesh government's decision to split Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) into three universities and remove the name of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from the institution.
The party said the decision was a serious issue as RGPV is the state's main technology university.
Leading the attack, senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath accused the BJP government of focusing on changing names instead of bringing new initiatives in the education sector.
"The BJP government's move to split Madhya Pradesh's prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya into three parts and remove the name of the late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from it is a reflection of their petty mindset," Kamal Nath said in a statement.
He said Rajiv Gandhi played an important role in taking India into the modern technology era. He credited him with ushering in the information revolution and the computer age.
"The BJP is incapable of undertaking any new initiatives itself; it is merely obsessed with replacing nameplates on projects established during the Congress era," the Congress leader said.
He demanded that the government should not remove Rajiv Gandhi's name from the university. Nath also said changing the name of an institution could not change history. "You cannot alter history simply by changing a name," he added.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Umang Singhar also opposed the decision. He questioned the government's priorities in the education sector. "Has the BJP government come to equate mere name-changing with development?" Singhar asked.
He termed the decision to split RGPV and remove Rajiv Gandhi's name "condemnable".
Singhar said the government should focus on improving education instead of changing the identity of an established institution. "How will the restructuring of RGPV -- an institution linked to 585 colleges across 55 districts and over 3.83 lakh students -- impact the students' future and the education system?" he asked.
The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, approved the restructuring on Tuesday. The Cabinet decided to divide RGPV into three technology and skill universities based on geographical areas.
It also approved renaming the university as Madhya Bharat Technology and Skill University.
Briefing the press, PWD Minister Rakesh Singh on Tuesday said the decision was taken considering the large geographical area of Madhya Pradesh. "Currently, 585 institutions are affiliated with RGPV, and 383,000 students are studying there. Considering the state's geographical area, approval has been granted to establish three technology universities to replace RGPV. These will now be known as 'Technology and Skill Universities'," Singh said.
The decision will change the administrative structure of technical education in the state. It will also affect the way affiliated colleges and students are governed. While the government has cited administrative convenience and the state's geographical spread, the Congress party has made the removal of Rajiv Gandhi's name the main political issue.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.