Not in violation of any rules: Karnataka govt says on EC letter on ads in Telangana newspapers
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said that the state government's advertisements about its work in newspapers in poll-bound Telangana do not violate any rules, as they did not ask for votes.
He said the government would respond to the Election Commission's letter on this.
The BJP on Monday had lodged a complaint with the EC in the matter, alleging that the Congress violated the Representation of the People Act and the Model Code of Conduct with its government in Karnataka publishing advertisements in Telangana media with an eye on the November 30 assembly polls there.
The Election Commission on the same day asked the Congress government in Karnataka to stop publishing advertisements about its work in newspapers Telangana, and sought an explanation from it for not seeking prior approval as mandated under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
Speaking to reporters here, Shivakumar said that the advertisements were only aimed at projecting the work done by the Karnataka government amid claims by opposition parties that it did not implement any of its 'guarantee schemes'.
"We have not committed any violation; the Karnataka government has not asked anyone for votes... What violation have we committed?," he asked in response to a question about the EC's directions.
"Whatever work we have done, we have just presented them to various states -- to newspaper readers whether in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, or Telangana... There is no problem," he insisted.
The ads were a counter to the opposition's claims about the Karnataka government, and did not canvass for votes, he reiterated. "They (opposition parties) were trying to propagate that we have not implemented (guarantee schemes) -- we have just said it (about implementation of guarantees in the ads), we have not asked for any votes.
"If we have asked any votes, then (it is) okay (to question), but we have not asked for votes from anyone; we have not said vote for Congress or X or Y."
He sought to compare the ads with those given by other governments in newspapers. "There will be so many magazines or publications covering lots of issues. They (other governments) also will give a lot of other advertisements. We are projecting ourselves (Karnataka govt), we are not projecting the Congress party -- we will definitely reply (to EC)," he said.
Telangana's ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) too had approached the poll panel on the issue.
In a letter to the Karnataka Chief Secretary, the panel said the state government did not obtain prior approval from it for publishing the advertisements, and that its action was violative of the poll code instructions issued to the central and state governments years ago.
It also instructed the Government of Karnataka to stop publishing any such advertisements in Telangana, with immediate effect, until it obtains the necessary approvals.
The EC has sought an explanation by 5 pm on Tuesday on the circumstances that led to the violation of the MCC.
In its letter, the commission also asked why disciplinary action should not be taken against the secretary-in-charge of the Department of Information and Public Relations for violations of procedure, as mentioned under MCC instructions.
In the past, the panel had observed that certain advertisements highlighting welfare schemes and achievements of the central and state governments were being published by some non-poll going states in newspapers in poll-bound states. It had considered this to be a violation of the spirit of the Model Code of Conduct.
In 2013, it had directed that, in future, all such advertisements issued by non-poll going states during the period in which the MCC is in force would be forwarded to the panel for clearance before they are sent for publication in newspapers having editions or circulation in poll-bound states.
The Telangana assembly polls will be held on November 30. Votes will be counted and results declared on December 3.
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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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