The Karnataka government withdrew Bills to establish six private universities in the state after facing objections from both the opposition parties of Congress and JD(S) as well as ruling BJP MLAs in the state Assembly, on December 29.
The higher education minister CN Ashwath Narayan introduced six bills in the state assembly: the GM University Bill, The Sapthagiri NPS University Bill, The Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha University Bill, The T John University Bill, The Kishkinda University Bill, and The Acharya University Bill. The government had intended to pass these bills in both the assembly and legislative council, as per a report by PTI.
During the discussion of the first bill, minister Narayan stated the government would regulate fees for 40% of the seats, while fees for the remaining 60% would be determined by the Fee Regulation Committee. However, speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, a former education minister, expressed doubt about the potential for innovative thinking from these universities.
"Our students are flooding foreign universities. Why can't we bring foreign students here for studies by giving them quality education?" he said. Backing him, Congress Legislator Priyank Kharge said that there should be a change in the academic council and the appointment of the Vice-Chancellors should not be political.
"You have rightly said that we lack out-of-the-box thinking. We are creating the highest number of unemployed engineers. While reputed universities around the globe show the Nobel laureates and prestigious award winners in their prospectus, the first thing our universities write is that the campus is spread over sprawling 125 acres. Is this a university or a real estate business?" he questioned.
Another senior Congress MLA HK Patil suggested the government should introduce an ordinance rather than pass the bill without proper deliberation. Meanwhile, former higher education minister and BJP MLA Aravind Limbavali argued the bill does not demonstrate sufficient government control over these private universities.
Limbavali cited the example of a private university where the Vice-Chancellor was murdered due to the lack of government involvement in the university's affairs. Two other BJP legislators, Veerabhadrayya Charantimath and Basavangouda Patil Yatnal, also opposed the bills, stating that a more thorough discussion was needed. Due to the strong opposition, Narayan withdrew the bills, as per PTI.
