The Jawaharlal Nehru University is a top research institution and "intentions" of some people who have given it a "bad name" will not be allowed to succeed, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Replying to concerns raised by SP Singh Baghel (SP) during the discussion on a bill to establish two universities in Andhra Pradesh, the minister said JNU is a top institution and doing a good job in research.

"Some people have given it a bad name. But their intentions would not be allowed to succeed. There is no question of JNU faltering from the mainstream. We won't allow it to happen," he said.

Bagehl had referred to the 2016 incident in which anti- India slogans were raised in the university campus on the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. He said it is a shame that such people have a degree from institution like the JNU.