"How some thing that was sweet then, has turned bitter today?"
HDK hits back at Yeddyurappa
Bengaluru,Jun 24: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Monday said his 'Grama Vastavaiya' (overnight stay in villages) programme was not a 'political gimmick', even as the BJP Monday dismissed it and said the people need relief from the "daily street fight" between Congress and JD(S) leaders.
Dismissing the initiative as a drama, BJP state unit chief B S Yeddyurappa alleged that the chief minister was wasting crores of rupees in the name of 'Grama Vastavaiya'.
Hitting back at Yeddyurappa, Kumaraswamy said, Grama Vastavya is not a political gimmick, it can be done only with "freedom of conscience", "humanity", and a will power to solve problems with a "motherly heart".
'Grama Vastavya' is aimed at taking administration to the people.
Rejecting Yeddyurappa's allegation that crores of rupees were being spent on the programme, Kumaraswamy said spending on him during the Grama Vastavaiya was only limited to travel cost, and basic facilities for stay at a government school.
Pointing out that at Chandaraki village, foundations were laid for various projects worth 58 crore , he said, those programmes don't come under the cost of Grama Vastavaiya.
"I hope that those in responsible positions speak after knowing the reality," Kumaraswamy said in a statement.
Yeddyurappa claimed that internal squabble in the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition had created an atmosphere that the government may collapse any time and asked Kumaraswamy as to when people would get relief from his administration that has lost direction.
"During his stay at Chandaraki village in Yadgir district last week- just imagine- he (CM) claims to be a simple man and boasted that state's exchequer will be burdened if he travels by a helicopter, Rs 1.22 crore was spent for luxury, food and other things- you (CM) should be ashamed," the BJP leader said.
Yeddyurappa also hit out at Kumaraswamy for boasting about his simplicity, while "running the administration from a five star hotel."
Kumaraswamy launched the 'Grama Vastavya' at Chandaraki village Friday, while his stay at Herur village in Kalaburagi rural taluk on Saturday was postponed due to heavy rain.
The state BJP Monday released a book "Grama Vastavaiya - Zero Performance" that lists out the current status of about42 villages that Kumaraswamy had visited during his first stint as chief minister in 2006-07.
Kumaraswamy said during the BJP-JD(S) coalition government Yeddyurappa also took part in Grama Vastavya programme along with him at Srirampura village of Arkalgud taluk in Hassan district.
"How some thing that was sweet then, has turned bitter today?"
"If there is constructive criticism on administrative matters I will take them seriously and take action.
I request Yeddyurappa through media not to bring down the dignity of the office of leader of opposition by speaking about my personal matters that do not come under the domain of the government," he said.
The leader of the opposition also alleged that 'Grama Vastavaiya' showed that the chief minister was unable to implement the decisions taken in the state capital at the local level.
He has lost control over bureaucracy and does not have faith in his district in-charge ministers, Yeddyurappa alleged.
"At the time when science and technology in the country has progressed, why are you playing the 'Grama-Drama' of solving the issues through Grama Vastavya? Isn't this a publicity gimmick? Will you come out with a white paper about your achievements in previous Grama Vastavaiya," he asked.
Yeddyurappa hit out at Kumaraswamy for allegedly running the administration from a five-star hotel.
"Mr chief minister, when will people get relief from your administration that has lost direction and from daily street fight of your coalition parties?" he asked.
"Watching and reading about street fighting between Congress-JD(S) leaders, people are cursing.
There is loot taking place every day in government departments, still CM is making speeches about developing the state- when is the relief from such illusion?" he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress said the credit for the Chief Minister's outreach programme goes to the entire coalition government, not to JD(S) alone.
"This is coalition government, the Chief Minister is not alone for JD(S), he is Chief Minister for the entire state.
If he does grama vastavaiya will it (credit) go only to JD(S)? It will go to entire government," Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, who is from the Congress, said.
'Grama Vastavya' is a popular programme that Kumaraswamy had launched during his first stint as Chief Minister heading the BJP-JD(S) coalition government in 2006-07.
During his previous stint, Kumaraswamy used to spend the nights at villagers' houses as part of the initiative.
This time, however, he has decided to stay in government schools.
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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